Sopore 6th Feb:- Radio Chinar 90.4 FM will celebrate its fifth anniversary by launching a photography competition on February 13, 2026, coinciding with World Radio Day. The event aims to engage the community and showcase talent, with winners receiving felicitations and prizes. Participants are invited to submit their photographs across any genre—such as landscape, portrait, wildlife, or abstract—via email at radiochinar90.4@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is February 10, 2026, ensuring ample time for review and judging.

Handwara, Dec,20:The Revenue Department Handwara, with the immediate support of Handwara Police, has taken swift action against the illegal felling of protected walnut trees on State land in the Haran area of Handwara.

Acting on specific information, the Revenue team conducted a night operation and found nearly six walnut trees illegally cut. During verification, part of the felled wood was recovered from the spot, while the remaining timber, which had been transported and concealed in the Chowgal area, was later seized with police assistance.

The seized material has been taken into custody and legal proceedings have been initiated against the violators under relevant laws. The administration reiterated that walnut trees are protected under law and any unauthorized felling will attract strict legal action.

While talking to HEADLINES TODAY Tehsildar Handwara, Zeeshan Khan (JKAS), said that more than five illegally felled walnut trees have been confiscated during the past three weeks, underscoring the administration’s zero-tolerance policy towards environmental violations. he said

"Illegal felling of walnut trees is a serious offence under government rules, as walnut trees are protected by law in Jammu & Kashmir. Such acts cause irreversible environmental damage and disturb ecological balance, as these trees take decades to mature. Unauthorised cutting, whether on private or State land, invites strict legal action, including seizure of timber, heavy fines, and prosecution. The government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against such environmental violations."

The action has been appreciated by local residents, who welcomed the firm steps taken to protect public property and preserve ecological balance.

Srinagar, an accidental explosion inside the Nowgam Police Station on Friday claimed about 9 lives and left 30 others injured. The blast occurred when a forensic team was inspecting seized ammonium nitrate inside the police station, officials confirmed.

The police station has been at the centre of a major investigation that recently led to the unravelling of a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) interstate terror module. As part of the probe, three doctors—believed to be core members of the module—were arrested in Faridabad, Haryana, and Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. A fourth operative, Umar Nabi, accused of carrying out the Red Fort blast, remains absconding.

The investigation began in October, when JeM-related posters surfaced in Nowgam. What initially appeared to be a minor local issue soon expanded into a large-scale operation stretching hundreds of kilometres beyond the Valley.

During raids linked to the accused, police recovered over 350 kg of ammonium nitrate, part of a staggering 2,900 kg of suspected explosive material that also included potash, phosphorous, reagents, inflammable substances, electronic circuits, batteries, wires, remote controls, timers and metal sheets. A portion of the seized material had been brought to the Nowgam Police Station for forensic examination.

It was during this inspection that the accidental blast took place.

Emergency teams rushed to the scene, and the injured were shifted to hospitals, several of them in critical condition. Authorities have ordered a high-level inquiry into the circumstances that led to the explosion and whether safety protocols were followed during the handling of the material.

Security has been heightened across the district even as forensic experts continue their assessment of the blast site.

Kupwara,Nov,12:Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kupwara, Shri Shrikant Suse, on Tuesday handed over cheques amounting to ₹1 lakh each to the Next of Kin (NoK) of two individuals who tragically lost their lives in separate road accidents. The financial assistance has been provided under the Jammu and Kashmir Road Accident Victim Fund (2022), which aims to extend immediate relief to families affected by road tragedies.

The sanction for the assistance was approved by a five-member district committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner and comprising the ARTO Kupwara, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Accounts Officer to DC Kupwara, and Deputy SP Traffic.

Speaking on the occasion, DC Suse said that the Road Accident Victim Fund is a significant welfare measure designed to provide timely financial support to the dependents and legal heirs of those killed or injured in road mishaps involving both passenger and private vehicles.

He directed all concerned departments to ensure the speedy processing and resolution of such cases, enabling swift compensation to the bereaved families. The Deputy Commissioner also laid stress on raising awareness about the scheme among the general public and establishing a single-window clearance system to make the disbursal process faster and more transparent.

The initiative has been widely appreciated by the public, who termed it a compassionate step by the district administration towards helping families in distress.

Srinagar, Nov 1: Two former bank officials were convicted by a Srinagar court on Friday in separate cases of fraud and forgery that had been pending for nearly two decades.

City Judge Srinagar, Abdul Bari, delivered the two judgments, highlighting the long legal process required to address financial crimes within institutions.

In the first case (State vs. Mohammad Shafi Banday), the court found Mohammad Shafi Banday, the former Managing Director of J&K Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank Limited, guilty of serious charges.

Investigations by the Crime Branch revealed that Banday had manipulated his date of birth, declaring it as September 1, 1939, instead of the actual June 26, 1932. He achieved this by producing a forged certificate, which allowed him to overstay in his position for more than seven years.

The prosecution successfully argued that this act resulted in wrongful gain for the accused and a corresponding loss to the state exchequer. Sixteen witnesses, including senior bank officers, testified that Banday had taken his service book from official records and failed to return it.

The court convicted him under Sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using a forged document as genuine), and 201 (destroying evidence) of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC). The sentence will be announced at a later date.

In the other case (State vs. Nazir-ud-din Mir), the court convicted Nazir-ud-din Mir, a former recovery agent at the Bombay Mercantile Bank in Srinagar, for cheating and criminal breach of trust.

The case, originally registered in 2006, stemmed from a complaint by Mohammad Ayub Beigh of Karan Nagar. Beigh alleged that in 2004, Mir had collected ₹11 lakh from him towards the repayment of a bank loan but never deposited the money with the bank.

Forensic analysis later confirmed that the receipts issued by Mir bore forged bank seals and featured his own handwriting. After examining all documentary evidence and witness statements, the court ruled that Mir had "breached the fiduciary trust reposed in him by the complainant and the institution he served."

He was convicted under Sections 420 (cheating), 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant), 468, and 471 of the RPC.

Kupwara/Machil,Jun,29:A distressing situation has unfolded in the remote border area of Chotiwari Payeen in the Machil sector of Kupwara, where dozens of livestock have fallen severely ill due to a sudden outbreak of acute diarrhea and high fever. The outbreak has already claimed the lives of a cow and her calf, leaving local residents in shock and fear for the safety of their remaining animals.

Farooq Ahmad Lone, a resident of Chotiwari Payeen told Headlines Today, that his cow was the only source of livelihood for his economically vulnerable family. “This morning, I lost all hope. Due to the non-availability of veterinary care and medicines from the Animal Husbandry Department Kupwara, my cow died yesterday evening in front of my eyes,” Lone said with tears.

According to locals, this mysterious viral disease started affecting animals in the village around seven days ago and has since spread rapidly. Despite multiple requests made to the concerned authorities, no timely veterinary assistance has reached this far-flung border village.

Mohammad Rafiq Tantray, Mohammad Jamal, Mohammad Ashraf, Abdul Rashid, and several other locals jointly appealed to Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Ayushi Sudan for urgent intervention. “We are helplessly watching our animals suffer. We request that a team of veterinarians and animal health experts be deputed immediately, along with life-saving medicines, to control this outbreak and safeguard the remaining livestock,” they said.

In response, District Animal Husbandry Officer Kupwara, Dr. Shabir Ahmad, told Headlines Today that the matter had not been officially brought to his notice. “The area falls under the jurisdiction of Block Veterinary Officer (BVO) Lolab Sogam, and I will confirm the situation with him. We will depute a team immediately to Machil for assessment and necessary treatment. As per my knowledge, a veterinary team had visited there recently during a vaccination drive,” he added.

Meanwhile, Professor Kaiser Mohi-ud-Din Malik, Head of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Kupwara, stated that although the KVK has limited animal health manpower, they would do their best to assist. “We have only one animal scientist, but we will visit Machil on Tuesday to collect samples, examine the affected animals, and submit a report on the cause of this disease outbreak,” he assured.

The local residents now await the administration's urgent action, fearing further loss of livestock if timely medical intervention is not provided.

Srinagar June 15  : A grave case of financial irregularities has surfaced at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), raising serious concerns over the misuse of internal hospital funds, procedural violations in contractor payments, and systemic corruption allegedly entrenched within the institute.

According to well-placed sources, a firm M/S Gousia Fayaz—entrusted with sanitation services—has become a focal point of controversy. Despite its bank accounts being seized by the Income Tax Department over alleged financial irregularities, payments to the firm have continued through internal resources, bypassing the standard budgetary procedure.

Sources confirm that cheque payments were recently issued to the personal account of the contractor, raising red flags over potential violations of financial protocols. These payments, made from the sanitation wing, have drawn sharp criticism from within the administration itself.

Speaking exclusively to this Kashmir News Bureau the Director Finance, SKIMS, clarified the context of the payment as

“A committee was constituted on the directions of the Director SKIMS to examine the situation after sanitation employees went on strike. Based on the committee’s recommendations and the urgency of the Eid festival, one month’s payment was released from internal hospital funds as an emergency measure to restore sanitation services. The firm has been clearly instructed to settle its pending accounts immediately, failing which future payments will only be processed through the regular budgetary route,” he said.

However, the misuse of internal revenue does not end there. Reliable sources allege that the public parking revenue, which generates lakhs in monthly collections, has been diverted from its designated revenue head and instead operated as an unauthorized corpus fund by select officials. This alleged misappropriation has evaded audit trails and bypassed institutional accountability mechanisms.

Further, despite the completion of the tender process for managing SKIMS’s public parking and identification of a successful bidder, the Letter of Intent (LOI) has not yet been issued. Insiders allege that officials within the procurement division are deliberately stalling the formalization of the contract, allegedly in exchange for monetary kickbacks from the same contractor, M/S Gousia Fayaz, to maintain the status quo.

These revelations point to a pattern of unchecked financial indiscipline, with observers calling for an immediate and thorough investigation into the institute’s financial dealings from 2015 onwards, covering sanitation contracts, procurement practices, and internal fund utilization. (KNB)

Srinagar, Jan 29: Patients at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Srinagar have complained that the hospital is not providing them with the essential CT scan contrast injection, Lopromide, Ultravist 370 and is instead directing them to purchase it from the open market.

According to attendants, SKIMS has been informing patients that the contrast medicine is in short supply and advising them to buy it privately for Rs 1,550. This has raised concerns over the availability of critical medical supplies at the premier Institute in Kashmir.

"Why we are being forced to bear additional costs for a medicine that should be readily available within the hospital," said an attendant.

When approached for clarification, Medical Superintendent SKIMS, Dr Farooq Jan, declined to comment, advising that the matter be taken up with the hospital’s official spokesperson, Dr Kulsum. However, Dr Kulsum maintained that the medicine is available in the hospital but added that only the Medical Superintendent could provide further details [KNT]

Jammu, Jan 23:- In a bid to restore law and order in the Jammu region, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of JSK Range Thursday presided over a meeting focusing on tackling the menace of gangsters and criminals in Jammu, Kathua, and Samba districts.

    Sharma emphasized the need for a concerted effort to dismantle the networks of gangsters and antisocial elements. He directed the officers to maintain a vigil on these individuals, book them under the Public Safety Act, and seize their properties acquired through illicit means.

   The DIG also instructed the officers to launch a crackdown on vehicles with illegal modifications, such as tinted glasses and loud music, and take strict action against those possessing illegal weapons. He stressed the importance of involving the community in the fight against crime and educating the youth about the dangers of falling prey to gangsters.

   With Republic Day 2025 around the corner, Sharma reviewed the security arrangements in the region. He directed the officers to strengthen the police checkpoints, especially in border areas and cities, and maintain close coordination with intelligence agencies to thwart any potential threats. [KNT]

Dr Ab Qayoom

HT CORRESPONDENT 

Srinagar, December 22 : In a major breakthrough for police, they have apprehended a 33-year-old fraudster, Bilal Ahmad @ Dr Bilal, a resident of Handwara, wanted in multiple cases of cheating and forgery across Jammu and Kashmir. The accused was arrested in New Delhi by a team from Bijbehara Police Station following the issuance of a Public Safety Act (PSA) warrant against him.

In a handout Ananatnag police said that Bilal Ahmad is accused of defrauding dozens of individuals, including paramilitary personnel, by falsely promising bank loans for vehicle purchases and subsidy schemes. Investigations revealed that he used forged documents to obtain loans in the names of CRPF personnel, exploiting their identities for personal gain.

The police spokesman further stated that the accused’s criminal record includes at least 14 cases registered at various police stations across J&K, alongside numerous complaints filed against him in different courts. His arrest followed extensive surveillance in Delhi's Jamia Masjid area, with assistance from the Crime Branch of Delhi Police.

During the arrest, police recovered critical evidence from the accused, including seven ICICI Bank debit cards in the names of CRPF personnel, a laptop, a mobile phone, forged stamps, bank documents, and identity cards. Further investigations are underway to uncover the full extent of the accused’s activities, reads the statement.

Former Minister, Senior Politician, Syed Basharat Bukhari is all set to make GHAR WAPSI into PDP. 
             Reliable Source Confirmed that  Bukhari will re-join PDP at around 3pm today in Srinagar. GHAR WAPSI of many other senior leaders is expected soon.
           In wake of expected assembly election in J&K rejoining of senior leaders like Bukhari is expected to help PDP regain it's lost ground in North Kashmir, which is evident from recently concluded Parliamentary Elections in which Mir Fayaz of PDP didn't perform well and lost the election with dismal performance...