DELHI
Finally, the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir cadre, Now AGMUT, officer, Atal Dulloo is the Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir and has succeeded Dr Arun Kumar Mehta. Dulloo is the first native bureaucrat to hold the top position since 2017. Dulloo has served Jammu and Kashmir from the position of an SDM in Ladakh and early this year when he was sent on a second central deputation, he was Additional Chief Secretary for Agriculture. Barring five years, he has served Jammu and Kashmir for his entire service career. His appointment came in the wake of suggestions to the top decision-makers that the Jammu and Kashmir administration must have a native officer who knows the area well.
Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has said that out of nearly 43,000 stray dogs in Jammu City, 36,000 have been sterilised and vaccinated.
GANDERBAL
After the Cricket World Cup ended with Australia winning the finals against unbeaten India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the cup to Kangaroo Captain Pat Cummins. Hours after the ceremony in Gujrat, seven students in SKUAST’s Ganderbal campus were arrested for ‘celebrating’ Australia’s World Cup win.
The issue started when a 20-year-old student complained to the Jammu and Kashmir Police. They booked the students under UAPA, IPC sections 505, and 506. The law makes securing bail almost impossible. The complaint named seven students. “They abused and targeted me for supporting their country. Threats of the shooting were made. Pro-Pakistan slogans were raised, causing fear among us,” the non-native student claimed. The move faced sharp criticism from the Kashmir Political Class. The police said it was invoked milder provisions of UAPA. Families of the seven students have appealed to the administration that they must show leniency in the FIR lodged against the students as the BVSc students are bright. “The aim is not airing personal preference of a particular sporting team. It is not about dissent or freedom of expression. It is about terrorising others who may be nourishing pro-India feelings or anti-Pakistan feelings or disagreeing,” the police said in a statement. After hectic parleys, the police finally dropped charges and the students were bailed out.
Against a national average of 116.12 for SAIDI and 171.64 for SAIFI in 2022, KPDCL reported a dismal System Average Interruption Duration Index of 889 and a System Average Interruption Frequency Index of 723.95
NASEEM BAGH
After a minor on-campus car accident, the services of five Kashmir University employees were put under suspension. The physical altercation began with a collision between two employee vehicles. After hours, The Vice-Chancellor ordered the suspensions to address “campus hooliganism and indiscipline”.
Administrative Council has approved Rs 26 Crore acquiring land for the new Jammu and Kashmir House in Delhi, despite already owning 114 kanal land at Rajaji Marg.
SRINAGAR
Jammu and Kashmir is undergoing one of the worst power crisis ever, enduring over 18 hours a day. For the year 2021-22, KPDCL documented 889 hours of interruptions per customer, equivalent to around 37 days of power cuts in a year, while JPDCL recorded 489 hours, nearly 20 days.
Now, Jammu and Kashmir will receive 293 MW of additional power supply from the central government. This comes on top of the recently acquired 500 MW. Amidst the crisis, the government has enlisted religious clerics, scholars, and civil society members to promote responsible electricity usage. KPPCL has now started naming and shaming individuals online who are engaged in illegal electricity consumption to deter such practices.
SKIMS Soura, Kashmir’s leading tertiary care hospital, reported over 4000 new cancer cases in 2023, bringing the total since 2014 to 44112 cases.
SRINAGAR
Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) will now be administered by top municipal officials. This decision comes after the completion of the five-year term of elected representatives. This comes days after Deputy Commissioners and additional district development commissioners were designated as administrators for municipal councils and committees.
Until November, Baramulla Police have lodged 260 cases under the NDPS act, nabbing 452 drug peddlers, including 70 hardcore ones booked under PIT NDPS PSA in the district. contraband seizures exceeded 14 Rs crore.
KASHMIR
In two separate orders by the general administration department, the Jammu and Kashmir government ordered the suspension of Abdul Hafiz Shah, JKAS, regional director, survey and land records (ex-officio settlement officer) and attachment of Hilal Ahmad Mir, JKAS, project officer, wage employment (ACD), Kupwara. The government made no mention of the reasons for the two decisions except mentioning the conduct of the two officers.
BANDIPORE
Police have arrested five individuals, including Rohingya national Manzoor Alam, over a human trafficking web. Accused of orchestrating marriages between Rohingya women and locals in Kashmir for financial gains, the women were trafficked through Bangladesh. Police are currently on the case, investigating this troubling nexus.
DELHI
The government of India is proposing 33 per cent women’s reservation in Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry Assemblies during the winter Parliament session. Around 29 to 30 of the 90-seat Jammu and Kashmir Assembly will be exclusively for women from 2029. The session may also address bills related to Jammu and Kashmir, including the J&K Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, giving political rights to Kashmiri migrants and PaK refugees. It remains to be seen if the reservation paves the way for more impactful changes in political representation or just delays the Kashmir elections.
PULWAMA
Illegal mining in Romshi Nallah, Pulwama has triggered notices from the National Green Tribunal to the District Magistrate and Jammu and Kashmir State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA). NGT acted on a petition by green activist Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat. The bench has now instructed detailed reports from the District Magistrate Pulwama and SEIAA by the next hearing on February 5, 2024.
ARNIA
Prime Minister Narendra Modi engaged with beneficiaries of the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, including Sarpanch Balbir Kaur from the border village Rangpur in Arnia, Jammu. Kaur, a farmer and active community leader, showcased her success with various government schemes during a video interaction. Modi praised her for employing the Kisan Credit Card and lauded her local data awareness. Encouraging her to extend awareness to neighbouring villages, Modi emphasised inclusive benefits for every citizen. Kaur expressed her joy at directly conversing with the Prime Minister and pledged to reach 100 Panchayats to advocate pro-farmer initiatives. Besides, Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Mahila Kisan Drone Kendra and expanded Jan Aushadhi Kendras, fulfilling promises made during his Independence Day speech. He asserted that his ten years of governance instilled confidence, contrasting his administration’s service-oriented approach with past paternalistic governments, aiming to uplift the poor, youth, women, and farmers for India’s development.
SRINAGAR
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches in Jammu and Kashmir related to a Rs 250-crore money laundering case, targeting the fictitious River Jhelum Cooperative Housing Building Society. The former chairman of Jammu and Kashmir State Cooperative Bank Limited’s premises were raided. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had earlier charged Hilal A Mir and Mohammad Shafi Dar for offences under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act in August 2020. The investigation revealed fraudulent practices, including the sanctioning of a Rs 223 crore loan without proper formalities. The ACB exposed the non-registration of the society and the fabrication of documents for loan approval. Siphoned-off funds amounting to Rs 223 crore were successfully traced, with Rs 187 crore frozen. Additionally, the ED arrested Mohammad Shafi Dar in connection with the case, presenting him alongside Mir before a special court.
RAJOURI
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has dismissed senior prosecuting officer Aijaz-Ul-Hassan for allegedly accepting a Rs 2 lakh bribe from Moulvi Mushtaq Ahmad to exclude him from a murder case at Darhal police station in Rajouri. Aijaz, posted in Thanamandi, Rajouri, was accused of conniving with Assistant Sub Inspector Mohammad Shabeer to omit Ahmad as an accused. The dismissal order, issued by R K Goyal, Financial Commissioner/Additional Chief Secretary, Home, cited unsatisfactory responses to the chargesheet and a violation of the Jammu and Kashmir Employees (Conduct) Rules, 1971. Though the charge of demanding a bribe was not fully established, the report confirmed the acceptance of Rs 2 lakh, leading to Hassan’s dismissal. The Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission concurred with this decision after consultations.
JAMMU
International cricket returned to Jammu after 35 years as the T20 Legends League commences at M A Stadium. Around a hundred cricket legends, including Harbhajan Singh, S Sreesanth, and Chris Gayle, participated in the event. Jammu, untouched by international cricket since 1988 due to militancy, hosted four matches from November 27 to December 1. The opening match features Manipal Tigers and Southern Superstars. Legends from Australia, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Ireland, South Africa, England, Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Afghanistan join Indian players. The event’s choice to promote cricket in smaller towns and the UT’s enthusiastic support make Jammu an ideal venue.
SRINAGAR
Private equity can be a solution to unemployment and under-employment in Jammu and Kashmir, according to experts at a daylong session. The Kashmir Angle Network (KAN) has successfully raised nearly two crore rupees in the last 1.5 years for various credible ventures and plans to raise Rs 5 crore within the next six months. Despite the existence of Aspire Educational Services Private Limited, which raised Rs 42 crore over a decade ago, private equity has not been mainstream. Experts highlight that traditional debt funding through banks comes with high costs and bureaucratic processes, making private equity a game-changer for job creation and economic development in the region.
KATHUA
The construction of a crucial double-lane concrete bridge over the River Ujh in Kathua has been abandoned for over three years due to the JKPCC’s failure to clear its Rs 3 crore liability to the contractor. The incomplete superstructure, consisting only of narrow beams, poses a threat to the lives of hundreds of villagers and students who use it daily. Despite representations to authorities, the work remains stalled. Originally sanctioned in March 2015 under the Central Roads Fund, the bridge faced hurdles, including a change in the proposed site and a subsequent increase in span length, leading to disputes and work abandonment.
