LG Manoj Sinha formally permitted 75 of the 100 e-buses to operate on 15 inter-city routes for 12 hours a day. The service will improve after the Smart City Project adds two charging stations to the one it operates right now.
TANGMARG
Three militant attacks in the last three days of October led to two killings as one police officer is struggling to survive. In Wailoo Kralpora, militants shot dead Ghulam Mohammad Dar, a JKP head constable for 25 years, at his gate after he was dropped a labourer at home. He is survived by seven daughters, the eldest of whom is slated to get married in March. Earlier, militants killed Mukesh Kumar, a construction worker from Uttar Pradesh in Pulwama’s Nowpora village. In Srinagar’s SKIMS, Police inspector Masroor Ahmed Wani is fighting for his life in the high-stakes Intensive Care Unit (ICU). He was playing cricket in Eidgah when militants shot at him and the bullet landed in his head. A family man with a wife and young daughter, Masroor’s condition remains critical. Security measures in Srinagar city have been heightened. Meanwhile, JKP renamed Mattan Police Station as the Humayun Muzammil Model Police Station to honour Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Humayun Bhat, who lost his life during an encounter on September 13, 2023.
Kashmir’s controlled atmosphere storage capacity has risen from 25,000 MT in 2015-16 to 2 lakh MT in 2021-22.
SRINAGAR
It is normal for some people who consistently work on something or for something that they acquire an identity of their own. That is exactly what Mohammad Maqbool Shah, aka Mug Chacha, was for Srinagar’s Mirwaiz family and their Awami Action Committee (AAC) for over six decades. Apparently a press note deliverer, he was the go-to man if somebody had to meet Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, or prior to him, his slain father Mirwaiz Moulana Mohammad Farooq. He in fact was the person who was at the mansion when militants assassinated the Mirwaiz Sr. Shah passed away at the age of around 80. His funeral prayers were held at Green-Wood School Sikh Bagh in Lal Bazar, Srinagar. He began his journey in the 1960s as an assistant to the president of Anjumam e Nusratul Islam and Anjuman Auqaf e Jamia Masjid. He played a vital role in the press and media wing of the AAC. Mirwaiz expressed profound sorrow at his passing, emphasising the deep personal connection his family shared with Shah for more than 65 years. He aptly described him as a dedicated and dependable “one-man army”.
MHA will fund poor prisoners with the costs required for securing bail or paying imposed fines.
LADAKH
In a significant transition, Sonum Lotus, Kashmir’s popular weatherman for 15 years, has been transferred to Leh. Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, his successor pledged to continue delivering high-quality services and enhance the infrastructure. He credited Lotus’s innovations in advancements in forecasting and the use of social media to inform the public about weather conditions.
Kashmir has seen investments worth over Rs 1200 crore in various sectors under the New Industrial Policy, with employment opportunities created for 15,131 individuals.
SRINAGAR
RR Swain took over as the 17th Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) after the superannuation of Dilbagh Singh on October 31, 2023. Swain was warmly welcomed by senior officers and received a guard of honour at the Police Headquarters. An IPS officer from the 1991 batch, Swain has held various significant positions within the Jammu and Kashmir Police, including SDPO Kothi Bagh, SP Ramban, SP Kargil, SP Poonch, SSP Kathua, SSP Jammu, SSP Srinagar, AIG (P/W) PHQ, and DIG Vigilance, before assuming his current role as the DGP for Jammu and Kashmir. He was on a central deputation as well during which he was posted overseas also. Before assuming the charge of DGP, he was the head of police intelligence for many years.
In the last eight months, there have been ten infiltration attempts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district resulting in the killing of 28 militants.
JAMMU
A man accused of brutally killing his mother and three-month-old daughter with a sharp-edged weapon in Bishnah was apprehended by the Jammu Kashmir Police (JKP) within three hours of the crime. After committing the heinous act, the accused fled the scene on his motorcycle and was soon arrested. The motive behind the murders is still being investigated.
Over 20 per cent of the population consumes tobacco in Jammu and Kashmir.
JAMMU KASHMIR
The High Court has issued critical guidelines for arrests, detentions, and bail in criminal cases, especially those that could lead to imprisonment for up to seven years. These guidelines, aligned with a Supreme Court precedent, emphasise the need to avoid unnecessary arrests. The High Court has cautioned that non-compliance with these guidelines could result in departmental actions and potential contempt of court proceedings for erring officials. Magistrates who authorise detentions without proper documentation may also face departmental action. The guidelines instruct police to refrain from automatic arrests, especially under IPC Section 498A, relating to cruelty against married women, instead requiring a careful assessment based on specific criteria outlined in the CrPC. The magistrate’s authorisation for extended detention depends on a comprehensive review of the police report, and non-arrest decisions must be promptly communicated to the magistrate. These guidelines seek to balance law enforcement’s effectiveness with protecting the rights of the accused in the criminal justice system.
Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district has arrested 425 drug peddlers, including 69 hardcore ones, and filed 242 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) in 2023.
HANDWARA
Thirteen students lost consciousness during a self-defence event at a government school in Handwara. While trying to understand the use the pepper spray, a female student exposed a group of 13 other girls to the spray. They were promptly evacuated to a hospital and helped manage the temporary health crisis. Pepper spray is used by women to ward off assaulters. The police, however, have taken cognisance of the case and started investigations.
By the end of October 2023, Jammu and Kashmir paid Rs 4,811.09 crore as GST.
BANIHAL
With the 8.45-km Rs 3100 crore Qazigund-Banihal Navyug tunnel operational since April 2022, the 2.85 km Jawahar tunnel below the Banihal Pass is being considered to become a tourist place. Constructed between 1954 and 1956 by a German company, it became operational on December 22, 1956. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has floated a multi-crore tender as part of the pioneering project for the old tunnel. The idea is to enhance security, safety, surveillance, and upgrade mobility infrastructure within the tunnel so that it emerges as an attractive tourist spot. Fuel-laden tankers, trucks carrying LPG cylinders, and other explosive materials are still using the old tunnel. The tunnel was renovated in 1997. The tunnel was designed for 150 vehicles per day in each direction but the number of vehicles increased in fifty years to 7,000 in both directions.
DELHI
Delhi government has agreed to the request by migrant Kashmiri Pandits that they should have an institute where the Kashmiri language is taught to a generation that did not live in Kashmir. L-G VK Saxena assured them that, to begin with, an Academy for Kashmiri and Dogri languages will be immediately set up and a school on the lines of various schools run by state associations like Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh among others will also be explored. “When we eventually do return home, we need to ensure that the younger generations who have come into being in the decades away from our roots are able to embrace it wholly along with its language and culture. Both have to be kept alive till then,” Sunil Shakdher, who suggested an intervention told a newspaper.
GAZA
The Middle East situation has led to three Friday gatherings not permitted by the authorities in Jamia Masjid Srinagar. The halt came within a fortnight after Mirwaiz Umer Farooq was permitted to resume his duty following his release from prolonged home detention. Meanwhile, the J&K Waqf Board has reportedly disallowed any mention of Palestine in sermons or duas in any mosque that the Board maintains. The Hindu newspaper reported that directions have been verbally communicated. Since October 7, when the situation deteriorated in Gaza and Israel, the security grid has been monitoring the situation on a daily basis to ensure it does not impact Kashmir.
RAMBAN
The 1.08-kilometer long, four-lane Ramban viaduct on the Udhampur-Ramban section of National Highway-44 has been completed. Nitin Gadkari termed it a monumental achievement. The project cost Rs 328 crore. The extraordinary viaduct is composed of 26 spans and employs a combination of concrete and steel girders in its structural design. It will decongest the movement, especially in Ramban town.
RAJASTHAN
In a surprising turn of events, Congress leader Sachin Pilot revealed that he is separated from Sara Abdullah, his wife and mother of his two sons. The revelation came to light when Pilot filed his election affidavit for the upcoming Rajasthan polls, marking the first time he publicly acknowledged their divorce. Sara is the Yonge daughter of Dr Farooq Abdulllah and Sachin is the son of the late Rajesh Plot. Abdullah and Rajesh were close friends. Sachin Pilot, 46, and Sara Abdullah were seen as the power couple in Indian politics. Their love story had started in 2004, and over the years, they had built a family together, blessed with two sons, Aaran and Vehaan.
DELHI
It is a self-taught Kashmiri designer, Aaquib Wani, who designed the new Indian cricket team jersey. He was assigned the task last December. As the promoter of Aaquib Wani Design, an experiential design studio, he has collaborated with the international music festival Lollapalooza, the India Cricket Team, JSW for the Asian Games, the United Nations, Spotify, Coca-Cola, MG Motors, Nestle, and many others. He even designed special edition shoes for Rohit Sharma for IPL 2021 and 2022. He has worked with Adidas.
KUPWARA
The Principal Sessions Court Kupwara sentenced Muhammad Jamal Bhat to eight years imprisonment for throwing acid on the face of his neighbour, who was grievously hurt in April 2001. Four other family members of the convict including his wife and two daughters were also given punishment. The residents of Krishpora had picked a dispute over the use of some land for poplar plantation by the victim. The victim’s face was burnt in the attack.
