BANIHAL
A 21-year-old woman, Akhtera Bano of Sumber village, gave birth to a baby boy on board the Sangaldan-Baramulla train near Banihal in Ramban district last week. Travelling with her husband, Mohammad Ashraf, to the government maternity hospital in Sherbagh, Anantnag, she went into labour mid-journey. A fellow passenger, who was a midwife, assisted in the safe delivery of her first child. Railway Station Superintendent Abdul Baseer Bali said railway staff and the Railway Protection Force promptly extended support. At Banihal station, Akhtera was carried on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance arranged by a local NGO and shifted to the Banihal sub-district hospital. Doctors confirmed that both mother and baby were healthy and kept under observation.
The National Medical Commission has approved 190 additional MBBS seats across five Government Medical Colleges in Jammu and Kashmir, raising the total intake from 1,185 to 1,375.
DELHI
Indian Railways has proposed two major projects in Jammu and Kashmir: construction of a new 40.2-km railway line between Baramulla and Uri, and doubling of the 73.5-km Qazigund-Budgam line. Approved at the 99th meeting of the Network Planning Group under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the Baramulla-Uri line will connect five stations, including three Road Under Bridges and nine Road Over Bridges, and provide reliable all-weather connectivity to a border region housing key Army establishments. The Qazigund-Budgam doubling project, part of the Hill and Strategic Corridor, aims to enhance passenger and freight capacity, reduce delays, and enable faster defence logistics.
KULLU
At least seven Kashmiri labourers are feared dead after a massive landslide struck the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, collapsing two houses and trapping 12–13 people. All the victims were from Tulail, Bandipora, and adjoining Kangan in Ganderbal. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescued three injured persons and recovered one body, while search operations continue. The identified deceased include Abdul Rashid Sheikh (45) of Kijpara, Kangan; Sajad Ahmad Wani (35) and Mehraj-ud-Din Lone (28), both of Ari Goripora, Kangan; Gulzar Ahmad Lone (48) of Babanagri, Kangan; Mohammad Hussain Lone (42) of Gounchi Mohalla Akhal, Kangan; and Tariq Ahmad Sheikh (29) of Sardaab, Tulail, Bandipora. The tragedy has once again drawn attention to the hazardous conditions faced by Kashmiri migrant labourers working in vulnerable mountain regions.
SAMBA
Amid floods in Punjab and Jammu, Army troops carried out a daring rescue of a nine-month pregnant woman in labour from Ramkot village, cut off by road. Marching 18 km through rain and darkness, troops coordinated a Dhruv helicopter evacuation, airlifting her to the military hospital in Samba. In another case, Army sappers rescued a bedridden cardiac patient from Sammoval, carrying her 300 metres on her cot before transporting her for medical care. The Army has deployed 50 columns to provide relief, restore infrastructure, and support civil authorities in flood-hit areas.
MADHOPORE
Incessant rains across Jammu and Kashmir have exposed structural vulnerabilities in dams, bridges and embankments. Union Minister Jitendra Singh warned that the lack of regular desilting, restricted for decades under the Indus Waters Treaty, has reduced reservoir storage and weakened dam health, aggravating flood risks. The collapse of two of 54 gates at the Madhopur barrage, which flooded Pathankot and Gurdaspur, underscored the scale of the crisis. Singh also flagged unauthorised constructions and drainage encroachments as major manmade contributors to disasters. While scientists are studying cloudburst patterns, Singh stressed collective responsibility in regulating illegal mining, linking weakened bridges in Kathua to rampant, politically shielded extraction practices. For many days, multi-agency teams, including the Army and police, remained busy in strengthening embankments and laying waterproof covers to contain seepage, while residents have shifted vulnerable family members. Recurrent damage to the Tawi bridge, also hit in the 2024 floods, has once again disrupted traffic, though Army engineers restored connectivity with a Bailey bridge. Landslides have further cut off road links around Jammu, and several homes have collapsed, adding to residents’ distress.
JAMMU
BJP lawmakers have pledged Rs 35.5 crore for flood relief in Jammu, where torrential rains, cloudbursts and flash floods have killed nearly 150 people in two weeks. Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma said all 28 BJP MLAs contributed Rs 1 crore each, while MPs added Rs 2.5 crore each. The Central Government has already released Rs 209 crore to the UT Disaster Response Fund and is finalising a relief package. Sharma criticised the NC-led J&K government’s “inadequate” response, while praising Centre-led rescue efforts. Immediate measures include relief visits, medical camps, cleanliness drives and rehabilitation support for affected families.
SRINAGAR
Senior PDP leader and former minister Naeem Akhtar Andrabi, along with two ex-officials of the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation, has been acquitted in a six-year-old corruption case. Special Judge Anti-Corruption, Kashmir, Surinder Singh dismissed the 2021 chargesheet as “groundless,” ruling that procedural irregularities in the 2018 appointment of Vikar Mustafa Shonthu as managing director did not establish corrupt intent or abuse of office. The FIR, filed in 2019 following a government fact-finding report, had alleged violations in Shonthu’s appointment approved by Akhtar as board chairman. In a 27-page order delivered on August 29, the judge stressed that courts must act on substantive evidence rather than prosecutorial presumption, finding no proof of conspiracy or personal gain. Concluding that suspicion alone cannot justify prosecution, the court discharged all three accused and released their bail bonds, closing a politically sensitive case rooted in the post-2018 PDP-BJP fallout.
KATHUA
Heavy floods in Chenab, Basantar and their tributaries have extensively damaged BSF fencing and posts along the International Border in Jammu, Samba and Kathua, particularly at Pargwal island in Akhnoor. Many areas remain submerged, delaying exact damage assessment, though repairs and new fencing will follow once the waters recede. Despite the damage, BSF has maintained strict surveillance using boats, cameras and patrols to prevent infiltration.
JAMMU
Home Minister Amit Shah visited flood-affected areas in Jammu and Kashmir, announcing Rs 209 crore as the Centre’s share for the State Disaster Response Fund to support relief work after devastating floods, cloudbursts and landslides. He toured the Tawi bridge and Manguchak village, chaired review meetings, and assured that further aid would follow detailed assessments. Shah stressed on early warning systems, health services, food supplies and AI-based disaster management, while praising rescue efforts that evacuated over 5,000 people. Over 150 lives have been lost, mostly pilgrims, in the Kishtwar and Vaishno Devi tragedies. He assured restoration of roads, electricity and water supply was underway, with central and UT agencies working at war footing. Security reviews were also held, reiterating the Centre’s zero-tolerance towards terrorism. An Inter-Ministerial Central Team has begun touring all 10 flood-hit districts to assess damages and recommend relief and reconstruction measures. Shah pledged continued central assistance for the rehabilitation of families and the rebuilding of infrastructure.
WARWAN
A cloudburst in Warwan Valley ( Kishtwar), on August 26, caused large-scale destruction, damaging around 190 houses and killing 45 cattle, though no casualties were reported. The administration announced one month’s ration for affected families and distributed relief material, including supplies from the Red Cross. Of 224 houses in Margi hamlet, 50 were fully damaged and the rest partially. Multiple agencies, including the SDRF and revenue department, have been deployed to clear debris, restore road and bridge connectivity, and repair damaged water pipelines. The government said it is assessing crop losses for farmer compensation and has assured long-term protective measures. Six to seven locations in Marwah and Warwan were hit, damaging infrastructure, but authorities have already restored essential services.
TANGMARG
Jammu and Kashmir Police have exposed a conspiracy in which advocate Rahila Qadri, driven by a matrimonial feud, allegedly plotted with her current husband, advocate Rayees Ahmed Bhat, and accomplice Sajad Ahmed Ganie to frame her ex-husband, Manzoor Ahmed Khan, in a fake explosives case. On July 31, Tangmarg Police recovered a suspicious package resembling an IED from Khan’s house, later confirmed to be fake. Ganie, who planted it, confessed during interrogation that he acted on Qadri’s instructions. An FIR under relevant sections of the BNS has been registered, and all accused have been booked.
KATRA
Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has constituted a three-member committee to probe the deaths of 34 pilgrims in the August 26 landslide near Ardhkuwari on the Vaishnodevi route. The panel, headed by Jal Shakti Department’s Additional Chief Secretary Shaleen Kabra, with Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar and IGP Bhim Sen Tuti as members, has been asked to submit its report within two weeks. The tragedy has triggered political debate, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah questioning why the yatra was not halted despite prior weather warnings. National Conference leader Ajay Sadhotra demanded a judicial inquiry, terming the deaths “avoidable.” The Shrine Board, however, rejected allegations of negligence, calling the cloudburst and landslide “unpredictable and unforeseen.” It said precautionary measures were in place, the Tarakote track had already been closed, and relief operations were launched swiftly. The pilgrimage remained suspended for more than a week following the disaster.
DELHI
The Supreme Court has directed a petitioner challenging the Jammu and Kashmir administration’s ban on 25 books alleged to promote “secessionism” to approach the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court. A bench led by Justices Surya Kant, Joymalya Bagchi, and Vipul M Pancholi said the High Court was better placed to hear the case, as some authors are residents. The court asked the High Court Chief Justice to constitute a three-judge bench to hear the matter expeditiously, clarifying it was not expressing any view on the merits. Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, appearing for petitioner Shakir Shabir, argued that Section 98 of the BNSS, which enables forfeiture of publications, had an overbroad national sweep. The government notification banning the books, issued by order of Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, said the literature distorted history, glorified terrorism, and radicalised youth. Banned titles include works by A G Noorani, Sumantra Bose, Arundhati Roy, David Devadas, and Anuradha Bhasin.
