Jammu, Oct 1: An alleged drug peddler was detained from Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Saturday.
Ghat Doda resident Vijay Kumar alias “Pandit”, a habitual drug peddler, was booked under provisions of illicit trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT NDPS) Act, a police spokesperson said.
He has been lodged in Bhaderwah district jail on the orders of the Jammu divisional commissioner.
“The accused is a notorious peddler who has been active in the Chenab Valley districts of Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar for many years. Several FIRs have been registered against him in Doda and nearby Ramban district under the NDPS Act,” he said.
Kumar’s detention will act as a deterrent for criminals and smugglers still at large, besides saving the lives of a number of youths, the spokesperson said.
“He was a serious threat to the youths and got them involved in consuming and selling drugs. The police laid a trap and kept him under close surveillance and apprehended him on the basis of intelligence,” he added.
Kumar is the second peddler booked under the PIT NDPS Act in the district in the past two weeks, while 32 others have been taken into preventive custody.
The police have also registered 36 FIRs against 40 peddlers in the district this year, the spokesperson added. (Agencies)

Srinagar Oct 1: The J&K Traffic Police department on Saturday disputed an article in a national Hindi daily claiming that fruit trucks were being deliberately halted on the highway on the behest of cold storage owners.

The article said that the fruit trucks were being stopped for 2-3 days so that the growers are compelled to sell them off to the cold storage owners instead of taking the produce to the open market.

Terming the report as “unfounded, misleading and mischievous”, J&K Traffic Police said in a statement, “As per the data collected by NHAI at the Quazigund toll

plaza, between 01-09-2022 and 30-09-2022, 51,306 trucks including 33,105 apple

carrying trucks moved from Quazigund to other parts of the country via NH 44.

It said that 33105 fruit trucks had plied on the highway in September.

“Further given that the entire backlog of trucks at Quazigund were cleared on 26-09-2022, it is obvious that the daily flow of apple trucks from out of the Kashmir valley to other parts of the country is only 1100 apple trucks per day, and not the higher figures of 2000 or 2500 apple trucks per day as is being claimed by vested interests, ” it said.

“Similarly, the daily flow of truck in the Kashmir Valley towards Jammu and other parts of the country is only about 1600 trucks per day, ” it added.

“Given that the Down HMV traffic moves on alternate days, thus the maximum strandedtrucks at Qazigund is only 1600 trucks unless the Down movement is hampered by partial or complete closure of the NH 44 due to shooting stones, landslides or repair work. Details of travel hours lost over the last week to Shooting stones, other blockages and repair work by NHAI is given below. It may be noted that NHAI had requested for No traffic window of 4 hours per day for 5 days starting 24th Sept 2022, for repair works which was allowed by the government”.

Srinagar, Oct 1: Police has arrested a “journalist” from Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district after a woman accused him of rape.
According to the complaint, accused Nadeem Ahmed Ganie lured the victim through his WhatsApp group made for people seeking help and forced her into a sexual relationship after sedating her fraudulently.
Srinagar police arrested a self proclaimed journalist Nadeem Ahmed Ganie @ Nadeem Nadu, a resident of Qazibagh, Anantnag, in a rape case on a complaint received from a girl,” a police spokesman said on Saturday.
The victim also alleged that the accused took her objectionable pictures after sedating her and used these to blackmail her into forced sexual intercourse many times, the spokesman said.
The accused also took her gold ornaments in the course of blackmailing her. Pertinent to mention, the lady was a student in an institution in central Kashmir at the time of the occurrence of this crime,” the spokesman added.
A case under various sections including 376 IPC (rape) has been registered in Women police station Srinagar and special investigation team has been formed to investigate the matter. (Agencies)

New Delhi, Oct 1: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Jammu and Kashmir for two days beginning October 4, during which he will review the security situation there, address two rallies and offer prayers at Vaishno Devi temple.
On the first day of the visit, Shah will address a public meeting at Rajouri, launch development projects and also lay foundation stones for various projects in Jammu after visiting the Vaishno Devi temple in the morning.
On October 5, he will review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir at a meeting to be held at Raj Bhavan in Srinagar.
Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, top officials of the army, paramilitary forces, state police and civil administration will take part in the high-level meeting.
Shah will also address a public meeting at Baramulla before launching and laying foundation stones for various development projects in Srinagar. (Agencies)

SRINAGAR, Oct 1: The Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) has ordered for change in the school timing with effect from today October 1.
As per the DSEK order, all the government and private (recognized) schools of Kashmir
Division will observe school timings from 9am to 3pm within Municipal limits of Srinagar city.
“The schools falling outside Municipal limits of Srinagar will observe school timing from 10am to 4pm from October 1 of 2022,” the order reads.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday appealed Union Home Minister Amit Shah to release Altaf Shah, son-in-law of late separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani, on humanitarian grounds as he is suffering from renal cancer.

Shah, along with six others, was arrested in 2017 in connection with a terror funding case. He is presently in the ICU of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Delhi.

“Continued incarceration of Altaf Shah is inhumane as he is critically ill. Request @HMOIndia to release him on humanitarian grounds so that he can be with his family in such distressing times,” Mehbooba tweeted.

The PDP president was commenting on a tweet by Shah’s daughter.

“My incarcerated father has been diagnosed of acute renal cancer which has metastasis and has spread to his other body parts, including his bones. It is my whole family’s request to please allow us to see him and consider his bail application on health grounds @HMOIndia @PMOIndia,” Ruwa Shah had tweeted last night.

“He is presently on oxygen support in the ICU of RML hospital – where there is no oncology department. My father, Altaf Shah, is 66 and is a political prisoner since last 5 years at New Delhi’s Tihar Jail. @amnesty @AIIndia,” she added.

(With PTI Inputs)

NEW DELHI, Oct 1: Jet fuel (ATF) price on Saturday was slashed by 4.5% and that of commercial LPG used in hotels and restaurants by ₹25.5 per 19-kg cylinder.
The price of a 19-kg commercial LPG cylinder was cut to ₹1,859.50 in the national capital from ₹1,885, according to a price notification from state-owned fuel retailers.
This is the sixth reduction in the price of commercial LPG since June, in step with softening international energy prices.
In all, rates have come down by ₹494.50 per 19-kg cylinder.
However, rates of LPG used in household kitchens for cooking purposes remained unchanged at ₹1,053 per 14.2-kg cylinder.
This because the rates of domestic cooking gas were way lower than cost and now with a drop in international prices, they are at breakeven, industry sources said.
Commercial LPG rates, on the other hand, have largely been aligned with cost and so they have moved in tandem with rise and fall in international prices.
Simultaneously, the rates of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) were cut marginally by 4.5%.
Jet fuel price was cut by ₹5,521.17, or 4.5%, to ₹115,520.27 pr kl in the national capital.
Rates differ from State to State depending on incidence of local taxes.
While commercial LPG rates are revised once a month, ATF prices are changed every fortnight. There was no change in jet fuel prices on September 16. Prior to that, they were cut marginally by 0.7% on September 1.
Petrol and diesel prices, however, continued to remain on freeze for a record near six months. Petrol costs ₹96.72 per litre in the national capital and diesel comes for ₹89.62. (Agencies)

Jammu, Oct 1: Former Chief Minister of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state Ghulam Nabi Azad has been elected the chairman of his newly formed Democratic Azad Party (DAP), a party leader said on Saturday.
A resolution to this effect was passed at a founder members session, which was held both in Jammu and Srinagar, the leader said, adding the decision was unanimous.
Azad, 73, who quit the Congress on August 26, launched DAP in Jammu on September 26 with the support of dozens of former ministers, ex-legislators and other prominent leaders, majority of whom also resigned from the Congress in his support. (Agencies)