GULMARG
Kashmir’s winter tourism received a boost on Saturday with the inauguration of Asia’s longest ski drag lift and a rotating conference hall at the world-famous resort of Gulmarg. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah inaugurated the 726-metre-long ski drag lift at Kongdoori, built for Rs 3.65 crore, and the rotating conference hall at Apharwat, located at an altitude of 4,390 metres and constructed for Rs 86 lakh. The projects are part of tourism infrastructure works worth over Rs 17 crore aimed at strengthening Gulmarg’s position as a global winter sports destination. Abdullah said the new facilities would enhance professional skiing, improve visitor experience and help create year-round tourism opportunities while protecting the region’s fragile ecology. Gulmarg, which attracted over 7.68 lakh visitors in 2024 and hosted the Khelo India Winter Games, remains central to the government’s tourism push amid a slow recovery following the Pahalgam massacre in April 2025.
Jammu and Kashmir has recorded a Total Fertility Rate of 1.4, well below the replacement level and among the lowest in India.
DELHI
The Army has said it achieved a major logistics milestone on December 16, 2025, by inducting tanks, artillery guns and engineering equipment into Kashmir through a special military train, significantly enhancing its operational preparedness. In a post on X, the Army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information said the induction was carried out as part of a validation exercise in which tanks, artillery guns and dozers were moved from the Jammu region to Anantnag in south Kashmir. The movement was executed in close coordination with the Ministry of Railways, highlighting the strategic importance of the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link. Built at Rs 43,780 crore, the 272-km rail line provides all-weather connectivity to the Valley. The Army has earlier used the route to ferry advanced winter supplies, reducing reliance on road convoys often disrupted by snowfall and landslides.
The government has said that floods and heavy rains in 2025 caused widespread damage across Jammu and Kashmir, claiming 199 lives, killing nearly 11,700 livestock, damaging over 8,400 houses and affecting about 77,915 hectares of crops.
PAHALGAM
Nearly eight months after the April 22 Pahalgam massacre that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, the National Investigation Agency has filed a 1,597-page charge sheet naming six accused, including Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Sajid Jatt, and the banned outfits LeT and its proxy The Resistance Front. The charge sheet was submitted before the NIA Special Court in Jammu. The agency has said its investigation traced the conspiracy to Pakistan, alleging sustained state-backed terrorism against India. Two residents, Parvaz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar, arrested in June for harbouring killers, have also been charge-sheeted. The NIA said the duo identified three Pakistanis involved in the attack, all of whom were later killed in Operation Mahadev in Dachigam in July. The accused have been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Arms Act, including charges of waging war against the country. The court has listed the matter for arguments in January 2026, while further investigation continues.
Jammu and Kashmir has reported 3,343 dengue cases and two related deaths so far in 2025.
LAKHANPUR
Jammu and Kashmir’s six toll posts together have recorded cumulative collections of more than Rs 2304 crore since 2014-15, reflecting a sharp and sustained rise. Annual collections were negligible at Rs 0.11 crore in 2014-15 but increased steadily to Rs 30.30 crore in 2015-16 and Rs 38.32 crore in 2016-17. Revenue nearly doubled to Rs 73.75 crore in 2017-18 and rose further to Rs 83.65 crore in 2018-19. Toll receipts crossed the Rs 100 crore mark in 2019-20 at Rs 130.07 crore, dipped to Rs 108.75 crore during the Covid-affected year of 2020-21, and then surged to Rs 194.81 crore in 2021-22. A major jump was recorded in 2022-23 with Rs 409.96 crore, followed by Rs 436.86 crore in 2023-24 and a peak of Rs 507.56 crore in 2024-25. In the ongoing 2025-26 financial year, collections have already reached Rs 290.41 crore up to October. Post-wise, Bann Toll Plaza emerged as the largest contributor, collecting Rs 67.21 crore in 2019–20 and Rs 108.29 crore in 2024–25. Lakhanpur recorded Rs 19.78 crore in 2019–20 and Rs 79.58 crore in 2024–25, while Nashri Fee Plaza rose from Rs 24.80 crore to Rs 60.63 crore over the same period. Kachkoot, Lamber and Ujroo, and Thandikhui also showed steady year-on-year growth.
The government has said AIIMS Jammu is operational with teaching, research and patient services across 34 departments, while construction of the AIIMS Awantipora campus in Kashmir is 70 per cent complete.
DELHI
In the Red Fort blast case, the National Investigation Agency has arrested Yasir Ahmad Dar of Shopian, taking the number of arrests to nine. Dar was arrested in Delhi and has been booked under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The agency has said Dar played an active role in the conspiracy behind the November 10 blast, which killed 15 people, and was in contact with Umar-un-Nabi, the deceased perpetrator, and Mufti Irfan, described as a key conspirator. Earlier, the agency arrested eight others, including four doctors — Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganaie, Dr Adeel Rather, Dr Shaheen Sayeed, and Dr Bilal Naseer Malla, preacher Maulvi Irfan, Amir Rashid Ali, Jasir Bilal Wani alias Danish, and Soyab of Faridabad. The case has links to posters of banned Jaish-e-Mohammed in Srinagar and searches that led to the recovery of around 2,900 kg of explosives from premises linked to the accused.
The government has said Jammu and Kashmir reported 12,554 tuberculosis cases between January and October 2025, marginally higher than the 12,200 cases recorded in all of 2024.
PULWAMA
Around 200 kanals of orchard land at Labroo Karwa in Puchal Karawa Lajuria area of Pulwama, farmed by residents for nearly 80 years, is facing forcible dispossession following a proposal to allot it for a security camp. The parcel includes apple and almond orchards and is described by villagers as their sole source of livelihood, besides serving as a safe zone during floods. Residents say the land has sustained generations of farming families and its loss would leave them without economic support. Former Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, opposed the proposed allotment of the fertile land to central forces, saying a garrison should not be established in the middle of inhabited villages. Visiting the area, she said the government should identify barren land instead of productive orchards, particularly at a time of rising unemployment.
DELHI
The Delhi High Court has ordered the removal of objectionable social media content targeting Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary, granting him interim relief in a defamation suit. Justice Amit Bansal said a prima facie case was made out, noting allegations of sexually suggestive and defamatory material circulated on platforms including Facebook and YouTube. The court accepted Choudhary’s plea for the take-down of the content and listed the matter for further hearing in April.-x-
KATRA
Classes have continued uninterrupted at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence for over six weeks, with students attending lectures and practical sessions despite protests outside the campus over the composition of the first MBBS batch. Officials said all 44 students from Kashmir who were selected through the NEET-based admission process have joined, while only three of the six candidates from Jammu have taken admission, largely due to the cost of the course. Of the 47 students enrolled, more than half are women. Institute authorities said the academic environment on campus remains calm and focused, with no disruptions to classroom teaching or student life reported.
JAMMU KASHMIR
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has terminated the services of 103 firemen in the Fire and Emergency Services Department after an Anti-Corruption Bureau inquiry found large-scale fraud in their recruitment. An order issued by the Home Department said the appointments, made in 2020, were secured through manipulation and were not based on merit, declaring their continuation a perpetuation of illegality. The action followed an inquiry committee constituted in 2022 to examine allegations of irregularities, including paper leaks and result tampering, which led to a criminal investigation by the ACB. The Bureau’s probe established extensive manipulation of OMR sheets, fabricated answer scripts, and illegal alteration of merit lists to benefit 106 candidates. The government said such appointments were void ab initio and not protected under Article 311, as they were obtained fraudulently. Of the 106 identified beneficiaries, three appointments had already been cancelled earlier for failure to meet required service formalities.
BIHAR
Political leaders across Jammu and Kashmir reacted sharply after a video showed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pulling down the veil of a Muslim woman doctor during an official appointment ceremony in Patna, calling the act an affront to dignity, faith, and constitutional values. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah sought an apology, questioning why Kumar felt the need to touch the woman’s clothing. He accused the BJP of double standards, saying the reaction would have been far more severe had the victim belonged to another faith. Abdullah urged Kumar to apologise and persuade the doctor to accept her appointment. Omar’s predecessor, Mehbooba Mufti, said she was “shocked” by the visuals and questioned whether the incident reflected age-related conduct or the normalisation of publicly humiliating Muslims. She said the silence and laughter of those present made the episode even more disturbing, and suggested that Kumar should consider stepping down. Her daughter, Iltija Mufti, said no one in power had the right to interfere with a woman’s dignity or personal and religious choices.
KISHTWAR
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said there should be no political interference in power projects and asked law-enforcing agencies to act against anyone obstructing works of national importance, amid allegations that a BJP MLA from Kishtwar was pressuring the developer of the 850-MW Ratle Hydroelectric Power Project. The developer, Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited, has alleged threats and pressure to hire local workers or surrender the project, charges denied by BJP MLA Shagun Parihar and her party. Abdullah said any such interference must be viewed seriously and remarked that action would have been swift had similar allegations been made against his ministers. He also flagged delays in the transfer of key departments to the elected government. The company warned that continued disruptions could force it to withdraw, leading to major financial losses, and has lodged a complaint seeking legal action over alleged threats and defamatory social media posts.
