J&K

Jammu, Feb 16 (PTI) Over 60 people joined the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) here on Sunday, a party spokesman said.

The new entrants were welcomed into the party fold by JKNPP chairman and former minister Harsh Dev Singh at party headquarters, the spokesman said.

Srinagar, Feb 15 (PTI) The Jammu and Kashmir administration has booked former IAS officer-turned-politician Shah Faesal under the controversial Public Safety Act, official sources said on Saturday.

Faesal, who has been under detention after scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir's special status, was booked under the PSA on Friday night, according to the sources.

Jammu, Feb 14 (PTI) The Dal Lake and its surrounding areas in Srinagar will soon be declared an eco-sensitive zone, officials said on Friday.

The famous lake has shrunk to less than half its original size with its capacity down to 40 per cent due to pollution and encroachment, they said.

"The Committee of Experts (CoE) on Dal and Nageen lakes shall submit the final proposal to the Housing and Urban Development Department (HUDD) by 20th of February," a senior official said.

Srinagar, Feb 13 (PTI) Mobile Internet services was restored in Kashmir on Thursday afternoon, hours after authorities had suspended the facility to prevent rumours about the health of separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

The services were snapped late Wednesday night after some social media posts claimed the health of the 90-year-old Geelani deteriorated, they said.

Jammu, Feb 13 (PTI) By-election to over 12,500 panchayat seats in Jammu and Kashmir would be held in eight phases from March 5, the Union Territory's Chief Electoral Officer Shailender Kumar said on Thursday.

Polling would be held from March 5 to March 20 and ballots would be used for casting votes, he said.

NEW DELHI, Feb 13 (NNN-PTI) – At least three fire-fighters were killed and nine others, including four civilians, injured, after a building collapsed, following a fire incident in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The building collapsed at Talab Tiloo area of Jammu city, the winter capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

“Three fire-fighters were killed and five of their colleagues injured, after they went inside to douse the fire at a three-storey building,” a police official, posted in Jammu said. “Apart from this, four civilians were also injured in the incident.”

Srinagar, Feb 12 (PTI) The second batch of foreign envoys arrived here on Wednesday for a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir for a first-hand assessment of the situation in the Union territory six months after the nullification of Article 370.

The envoys of over 20 countries arrived at the Srinagar airport at around 11 am but could not visit Baramulla town in north Kashmir as per the schedule due to inclement weather, officials said.

Srinagar, Feb 10 (PTI) A fresh batch of foreign envoys will visit Jammu and Kashmir this week to get first-hand information about the ground situation after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, officials said on Monday.

The first batch of envoys, including the US Ambassador to India, had visited Jammu and Kashmir last month.

Srinagar, Feb 6 (PTI) Former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, besides two political stalwarts from NC and its arch-rival PDP were booked under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) by the administration on Thursday, officials said here.

A magistrate accompanied by police served the order to Mufti at the bungalow where she has been detained, the officials said.

Abdullah was also booked under the PSA, they said.

Anantnag, Jan27: A Kashmiri separatist was killed in an alleged encounter with Indian security forces in Budgam district of Indian administered Kashmir, Indian officials said.