Jammu & Kashmir

Srinagar, Jun 05: In an unexpected turn of developments, Jammu and Kashmir has recorded a 25 per cent sudden cut in the power supply from outside, a move that has triggered a “temporary power deficit in the UT.”

Officials’ privy to the development told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the J&K’s power supply has been cut by 25 per cent without “any clear reasons.”

Kashmir region, as per official sources will face the brunt of the power shortage given the soaring temperatures in Jammu, where the power department is resorting to minimum possible cuts.

Sources while divulging the details said that presently, there is a deficit of nearly 25 per cent electricity supply from the centre. “This has triggered a temporary power crisis in J&K,” they said, adding that there was no clarity as to what led to the power availability issue, but it seems that such a situation would continue for some time.

“The deficit of 20-25 % electricity has forced the KPDCL as well as the JPDCL to go for the power cuts,” sources said, adding that power cuts are less in Jammu compared to Kashmir. “Kashmir can bear given the low temperatures. In Jammu, there is a heat wave, so cuts are less there,” an official source, disclosed.

Pertinently, the consumers from different areas of Kashmir here have complained of power cuts again, stating that the erratic power supply has once again led to their sufferings here.

Mushtaq Ahmad, a local from Chattabal area of Srinagar, said that the KPDCL has once again resorted to the power cuts from last Saturday. “The department had changed the winter power curtailment schedule, but the power cuts have once again led to the hardships to the people,” he said. The KPDCL officials, however, said they were not aware as to how long the crisis would continue. An official said that things would be clear in a week’s time as to what led to the sudden cut in the power supply to J&K—(KNO)

Srinagar, Jun 05 : Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha Monday said that the Union Territory is among top green forest areas of India with over 55 percent forest and green cover areas.

Speaking in an event at SKICC on the banks of Dal Lake here,, Sinha said, “We cannot bring changes in the environment in one day but we have to work regularly and daily to overcome the issues we are facing in the environment.”

According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Sinha said, “We have to make a habit of having a good environment and only then, we can achieve our goal in keeping the environment good and healthy.”

He said that if there is a change in each and every individual, only then we can bring reforms in our society.

“In the recent G20 meet in Srinagar, several delegates spoke about sustainable tourism and eco-tourism,” the LG said.

Sinha further said, “This is the fact that Jammu and Kashmir is among the top green forest areas of India with 55 percent forest and green cover including 82 types of species.”

The LG said that Jammu and Kashmir was growing rapidly in terms of development and progress and the tourism industry is touching new heights.

“In this regard, development and reforms are a must and the forest department is working hard in keeping the balance,” he said.

Sinha further added that the people of the society also need to come forward to keep our environment green and clean. “I believe we will continue to work hard on climate change.”

Referring to some recent research, the LG said that it has been shown that in order to bring the change in climate, there is a need to stop use of plastic.

“We have to make sure to evict every place from plastic, be it our forests, rivers, ponds, brooks, Greenland’s, agricultural fields,” he said.

Sinha also said that the people have to make sure that the heritage of the environment is preserved and growing better.

“There is a need to give new shape of product packaging in order to minimise the growing plastic pollution in our societies,” the LG said.

He said that in 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Plastic Waste Management Rules and many other initiatives were taken to overcome the plastic pollution. “These rules with amendments were implemented in 2022.”

Sinha said that Jammu and Kashmir administration was the first UT to ban usage of plastic carry bags. “We have also made plastic pollution laws.”

The LG further said that he believes that one sided development will never be successful until and unless we will fight the pollution.

“By only recycling, we can minimize 20 percent of plastic pollution by 2040,” he said—(KNO)

Waris Fayaz

Srinagar, Jun 05 : Director Urban Local Bodies (ULB) Kashmir Mathoora Masoom on Monday said they have given clear directions to municipal councils and committees to utilize their own funds for the installation and repairing of streetlights.

Talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) Mathoora said, “We have already repaired and renovated such defunct lights, but wherever needed, the municipal council and committees are authorized to purchase and install the lights.”

We have set up a plan for streetlights in the upcoming plan, the Director said.

The complaints regarding unavailability or defunct streetlights have been pouring in for the last many months, with people accusing the authorities of not paying any heed to the issue. The people said they have been facing immense hardships in the absence of streetlights and that most of these became defunct soon after installation.

Several municipal bodies had been saying that they don’t have any provision or direction from the higher ups on installing or repairing streetlights.

This prompted the Director ULB to authorize the municipal council and committees to carry out the work on their own—(KNO)

Srinagar, May 22 : While taking action against the teachers for their poor performance in class 8, Directorate of School Education Kashmir has directed these teachers to pay 15 days salary from May month as fine and ordered for work withholding of one future increment for 12 months.

As per the order, issued by Director School Education Kashmir, action has been taken against four teachers posted in a clubbed school in Larnoo area Anantnag where most of the students failed to cross 8th class examination.

“Whereas, Joint Director (South), School Education, Kashmir has reported regarding poor performance of the teachers working under ZEO Vailoo. and upon perusal of the letter it got revealed that the below mentioned officials currently working in a clubbed school have poorly performed in a manner that is unbecoming of a govt. servant in terms of J&K Government Employee (Conduct) Rules, 1971,” reads the order issued by Director School Education Kashmir, a copy of which is with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).

The order reads: “Whereas, the poor performance of the teachers has been viewed seriously by the Department. As such, in terms of J&K Civil Services (Classification, Control & Appeal) Rules, 1956, it is hereby Ordered to impose following punishment on the ibid employees that fine of 15 days’ pay to be recovered from the salary of May 2023.”

The order further said: “Withholding of one future increment for a year and the same may be released without Arrears only after assessing the performance of the officials. Furthermore, a surety bond will be obtained from the officials that such negligence shall not get repeated in future and necessary entry regarding the punishment shall be recorded in the service books of the officials.”

Notably, on 25 April KNO had carried a story that a single student out of 25 students of Govt Middle School Khokarpora Adhal Vailoo in Kokernag had passed the 8th class examination.

The poor performance of the school had evoked strong resentment from the people following which officials had assured of action against the teachers posted there—(KNO)

Baramulla: Aarifeen School of Excellence celebrated Mother’s Day in a unique way by organizing a special event for the mothers of their young learners.

The event, held at a nearby eco park, brought mothers and children together for a day of outdoor activities and bonding.

This first-of-its-kind event was designed to celebrate the love and bond between mothers and their children, and to provide an opportunity for them to spend quality time together.

Mothers and their children boarded school buses from their designated stops and traveled together to the park. Upon arrival, they were greeted by educators who had planned several fun activities for them to enjoy together.

Despite some light showers, the group had a great time participating in games, making fruit chats, lemonade, lassi, and sandwiches, and spending quality time together.

The event was a huge success, with mothers expressing gratitude to the school staff for organizing such a thoughtful and fun-filled day.

The school principal, Ms. Asma Sadiq, was pleased with the turnout and said, “We wanted to do something special for the mothers in our community and show our appreciation for all that they do. It was heartwarming to see the joy on their faces as they spent time with their children and made new memories.”

The event was part of a larger effort by Aarifeen School of Excellence to engage parents in their children’s education and build a stronger sense of community within the school.

It was also an opportunity to showcase the importance of spending quality time with loved ones, especially during challenging times.

Aarifeen School of Excellence Baramulla is committed to providing quality education and fostering a strong sense of community among students, parents, and staff.

The school prides itself on its innovative approach to teaching and its commitment to creating a positive and nurturing learning environment for all students.

Qazigund, May 08 : The Northern Railways is likely to expand the existing 135 kilometre long Banihal-Baramulla railway track in Jammu and Kashmir into a double track. For this, tenders for carrying out a survey have been allocated by the Central government.

Talking to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Chief Area Manager (CAM) Kashmir Railways, Saqib Yousuf said the Ministry of Railways has invited tenders to start Final Location Survey (FLS) for double lanning of Baramulla-Qazigund section.

“Tenders have been issued for the engineering survey of the Railway line/roadway using modern survey techniques such as Aerial Survey (Aerial Photogrammetric survey or Aerial LiDAR) and DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System)”, he said. There is a single-track line from Baramulla to Qazigund and the project, if approved will double the capacity of the Railways.

CAM said that after the proposed survey, the capacity of the trains and the number of the trains will increase tremendously. “The capacity of the trains will be doubled,” he said. He said the work is expected to start soon.

Asked if fresh land was being allocated for the project, Saqib said, only after the survey gets completed, it is the Railways that will determine whether additional land is required for the project—(KNO)

Amidst strict precautions, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2023 was successfully conducted in Baramulla district on May 7, 2023.

According to official figures, 2569 out of 2617 registered students appeared for the exam in the district.

The NEET was held in three centers – SRM Welkin, Sanctorum Institute of Education, and DPS Baramulla.

Shakir Ashraf, the Director of Sanctorum Institute, Sopore, who acted as City Coordinator Baramulla, expressed his gratitude towards the District Administration and District Police Baramulla and Sopore for their support and coordination during the examination.

He said that the District Police Sopore and CRPF 177 BN Sopore played an instrumental role in helping all three centers conduct the examination seamlessly.

“Thanks to their efforts, there were no traffic jams or law and order incidents during the exam,” he added

All the centers submitted the scripts on time, and regular power supply was ensured by the District Administration.

The NEET 2023 is being conducted under the supervision and guidelines of the National Testing Agency (NTA).

Shakir said that the successful conduct of the exam in Baramulla district is a significant milestone, considering the challenges posed by the pandemic.

The students who appeared for the exam expressed their satisfaction with the arrangements made by the authorities. The results of the NEET 2023 will be announced in due course.

Srinagar, May 06 : Jammu and Kashmir government’s tourism department Saturday said that they have selected 300 destinations for promoting film tourism in the UT this year while G-20 will be the major international event and the great opportunity for J&K.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of the first show of the newly released movie—‘Welcome To Kashmir’, directed by Tariq Bhat, at Inox cinema Srinagar, Commissioner Secretary Tourism, Syed Abid Rasheed said that last year 200 plus movies were shot in J&K. “This year our focus is to promote film tourism and for that, we have kept 300 destinations on the table of film producers and directors to choose any place for shooting,” he said as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).

He said this year, film tourism will be promoted in a major way so that many untouched destinations are explored. “There are many destinations much better than European destinations in the UT,” said Rasheed. “Recently, a big film production house shot a movie in Kashmir.”

To a query about the G-20 event, the Commissioner Secretary Tourism said that the third working group meeting of the G-20 tourism group will be hosted by J&K which is a “major international event.” “This is a great opportunity for J&K to showcase its beauty. Through the summit, we will be able to promote film tourism in J&K,” he said—(KNO)

Srinagar, May 06 : Compared to previous year—2022, Jammu and Kashmir has received more rains in the first four months, however, the data reveals that the Union Territory has recorded a deficient rainfall of 23 percent from January 2023-April 2023.

Data shared by an Independent Weather Forecaster, Faizan Arif Keng to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) reveal that in the first four months last year, J&K had recorded a deficient rainfall of 40% as against the normal rainfall of 476.5 mm, the Union Territory had received a rainfall of only 285.8 mm.

However, the J&K for the same period this year has recorded only 23% deficient rainfall as against the normal rainfall of 478 mm, the UT has received 368.2mm rainfall since January 2023-April 2023.

According to the data, January 2023 has received the highest rainfall comparatively to the next three months of the year as the month has recorded 42% excess rainfall while February and March have recorded a deficient rainfall of 69% and 48% deficient rainfall respectively. The data further shows that April 2023 recorded excess rainfall of 14%.

In January 2022, J&K has recorded a rainfall of 168.7 mm against the normal precipitation of 93.1 mm while in February and March, J&K has recorded a rainfall of 77.2 mm & 18.3 mm respectively. The Union Territory in the month of April has recorded a rainfall of 21.6 mm.

In comparison, J&K in the month of January 2023, has recorded a rainfall of 135.1 mm against the normal precipitation of 95.1 mm while in February and March, J&K has recorded a rainfall of 40.7 mm & 78.9 mm respectively. The Union Territory in the month of April has recorded a rainfall of 113.5 mm.

Moreover, as per the seasonal data prepared by Meteorological department (MeT) here, J&K has received deficient rainfall since March 01, 2023-May 03, 2023 while Kishtwar, Kathua and Shopian districts hav recorded highest deficient rainfall of 57%, 45% and 38% respectively.

Meanwhile, the erratic weather conditions prevailed across J&K for the last few months while the weatherman here has predicted more rains till May 08, 2023.

As the rains lash plains across J&K, a few places including Sonamarg received fresh snowfall today, bringing down the temperature in the Union Territory.

Report reaching KNO said that the intermittent rainfall lashed several areas including the plains since this morning.

Director MeT, Sonum Lotus told KNO that there is a possibility of rains/thunderstorms at many places of J&K while hailstorm and gusty wind is also expected at scattered places during the next two days.

He further said that the weather would remain mainly dry from May 09-May 12, 2023.

Advising farmers to postpone spraying of orchards and harvesting of crops till May 08, Director MeT further appealed to tourists to keep warm & eatables ready as the weather would be colder till May 08.

The Director also stated that the rain may cause temporary disruption of surface transportation on National Highways Jammu-Srinagar, Zojilla etc and advised people to check road status before embarking on journey—(KNO)

Srinagar, May 06 : Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday arrived in Jammu and is scheduled to visit Rajouri where 5 army personnel were killed in a blast during an encounter in Kandi forest area of the district yesterday.

An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that Rajnath Singh landed in Jammu today where he was received by Army Chief Manoj Pande and Lt Governor Manoj Sinha

He said that Singh will head towards Rajouri to take a security assessment amid the ongoing anti-militancy operation in the area.

5 army soldiers were killed and an officer was injured after militants triggered a blast during an encounter in Kandi forest area on Friday.

Earlier, today army said that a militant has been killed while another one is likely injured as the operation resumed in Kandi forest area—(KNO)