Sopore, Mar 09: Panic gripped several areas of Sopore in north Kashmir after a leopard was spotted roaming in different localities, including Bohripora, Seelo, Shangergund, Brath Kalan and Nowpora since last four days.

According to authorities, the wild animal was first sighted in the Bohripora area where it attacked and injured three persons, including an employee of the wildlife department. The injured were immediately shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Following the incident, fear spread among residents of nearby localities as the leopard continued to move across different areas. Locals reported sightings of the animal in Seelo, Shangergund, Brath Kalan and Nowpora, prompting concern among the public.

Officials from the wildlife department and local administration rushed to the affected areas and launched efforts to trace and capture the leopard. Teams have been deployed to monitor the movement of the animal and prevent further attacks.

Authorities have advised residents of these localities to remain vigilant, particularly during night hours, and avoid venturing out unnecessarily. People have also been urged to keep children indoors and report any sighting of the leopard to the concerned department immediately.

Residents of the affected areas have appealed to the authorities and the Wildlife Protection Department to take immediate measures to prevent further incidents. They urged officials to install trap cages and deploy monitoring teams in the locality to capture the leopard at the earliest. The residents stressed that swift action is necessary to ensure the safety and security of the local population, particularly during the night hours when fear and panic continue to grip the area.

Meanwhile, officials said that efforts are underway to track the animal and ensure the safety of the residents in the affected areas.

Pulwama, Mar 8: The traditional Kashmiri bread “Routh” has made a quiet comeback in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, reviving memories of a delicacy that nearly disappeared from local bakeries over the years.

Once a familiar sight in bakeries across the Valley, Routh had gradually vanished as changing food habits and the growing popularity of other bakery items pushed the traditional bread into obscurity.

However, this Ramadhan, Rayees Ahmad, a baker in Pulwama decided to reintroduce it, drawing interest from customers eager to reconnect with the region’s culinary heritage.

“We reintroduced ‘Routh‘ this Ramadhan and are receiving a very good response from customers,” Ahmad said.

“Many people were surprised to see it again because it had disappeared from most bakeries for a long time,” he said.

Routh is a large, square-shaped sweet bread traditionally prepared using flour, ghee, sugar, and dry fruits.

Rich in taste and dense in texture, it was once considered a special bakery item often associated with celebrations and religious gatherings.

Elders in the area recall that Routh used to be widely consumed during weddings and festive occasions.

Families would often serve it to guests as a traditional delicacy.

The bread also had a strong association with religious sites, where devotees offered it at shrines as part of customary practices.

“In earlier times, Routh was very common,” said  Muhammad Sultan, an elderly resident of Pulwama. “People would buy it for weddings and also distribute it at shrines. It was considered a special bread.”

Despite its cultural significance, the bread slowly faded from bakery shelves over the past two decades.

Bakers say the preparation process is more time-consuming compared with other items, and declining demand had discouraged them from continuing its production.

“Making Routh requires more effort and ingredients, so many bakeries stopped baking it when customers began preferring other products,” Ahmad said.

However, the renewed interest during Ramadhan has encouraged a baker to revive the traditional recipe.

Customers visiting  the bakery during the holy month have shown curiosity about the bread, while older residents have welcomed its return with nostalgia.

Some buyers said the reappearance of the bread reflects a growing interest in rediscovering traditional foods that once formed an important part of Kashmiri culture.

If the response continues, the baker says, he may keep producing the bread beyond Ramadhan, allowing a new generation to experience a taste that was once deeply rooted in Kashmir’s culinary traditions.

Srinagar, Mar 8: All the schools and colleges would reopen on Monday and resume the routine class work for the students.

Secondary and senior secondary schools besides universities across Kashmir were closed on March 1, 2026, due to the situation following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei amid West Asia tension.

Elementary level schools were scheduled to reopen on March 2, 2026, after over two months of winter vacation.

However, in wake of the situation last week, the reopening of these schools got delayed by a week.

Talking to Greater Kashmir, Minister for Education, Sakina Itoo said that all the schools and colleges would reopen on Monday across Kashmir.

“The government has decided to reopen the educational institution from Monday in view of the peaceful situation,” she said.

On March 1, the educational institutions were closed for two days and later the closure of schools and colleges besides the universities was extended up to March 7, 2026.

Besides the closure of educational institutions for academic activities, the university examinations scheduled from March 2 to 7 were postponed as well.

Following the decision to reopen the schools, Director School Education Kashmir Naseer Ahmad Wani extended a warm welcome to students from Classes 1st to 8th, who will be attending school on Monday, the first day after the winter break.

He emphasised the importance of a positive start to the academic session and directed all Heads of Institutions (HOIs) besides the teaching staff to receive students warmly.

“Ensure that the reopening day is conducted in accordance with the previously issued guidelines and instructions,” Wani said.

The schools have been instructed to ensure that reopening day is conducted in a warm, welcoming, and festive manner.

The schools have been asked to ensure that students are greeted cordially on the first day, and institutions may arrange a child‑friendly ambience including welcome assemblies, motivational interactions, and distribution of candies as a gesture of encouragement to create a joyful and stress‑free atmosphere.

The Director School Education Kashmir earlier said that 2026 would be a year of academic excellence and instructed HoIs to make attendance of secondary class students obligatory in the schools.

The  Directorate of  School Education Kashmir (DSEK) has also prepared an academic planner for the session 2025-26 in line with the implementation framework of the National Education Policy (NEP)  2020.

“A uniform calendar for all government and recognised private schools  of the Kashmir division has been devised for advance academic planning, ensuring uniformity and coherence in academic planning and classroom practice,” the official document reads.

The schools have been asked to lay emphasis on promoting formative assessment dedicated to encouraging the shift from summative to more formative assessment practices.

“Each teacher will design one Holistic Progress Card (HPC) activity, and the best activity will be displayed on the school board throughout the year,” the document reads.

Cluster Heads have been asked to conduct  sessions on HPC and innovative pedagogical approaches besides focusing on HPC based  formative assessment.

The schools have been asked to follow NEP-2020 in letter and spirit besides the National Curriculum Framework Foundational Stage(NCF-FS).

“National Curriculum Framework – School Education(NCF-SE), should  be the guide of the competency based teaching-learning process and assessment,” it reads.

The teachers have been asked to conduct assessment strictly as per the NEP-2020 and maintain the HPC of students as well.

DSEK has said the morning assemblies should be tapped for imparting moral education by means of stories on moral education and participation of students in different activities reflecting morals.

“Also morals should be taught across curriculum – teaching of moral education through academic subjects and above all teacher being a role model should reflect morals so that students catch the reflection,” it reads.

Schools have been also directed that Parent Teacher Meeting (PTM) must  be conducted once a month (26th of every month) to restore public faith in the system and to have feedback.

Srinagar, Mar 8: To commemorate International Women’s Day, a district-level Women Entrepreneurship and Self Help Group (SHG) Mela was organised at the lawns of Mini Secretariat, Ganderbal.

The event witnessed active participation from hundreds of women from the district as well as involvement of several departments including Social Welfare Department, District Employment and Counseling Centre Ganderbal, Agriculture, Health, Education, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Handicrafts, Industries and banking institutions.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ganderbal, Jatin Kishore presided over the event as chief guest, while Additional District Development Commissioner, Manzoor Ahmad; Chief Agriculture Officer, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Education Officer, Assistant Director Employment, Lead District Manager, Cluster Head J&K Bank and other officers and officials were also present on the occasion.

The DC visited stalls set up by several departments including Agriculture, Jal Shakti, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Health, Handicrafts & Handloom, along with agencies such as the Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission (UMEED), Jammu and Kashmir Bank, Rural Self Employment Training Institutes, District Employment and Counselling Centre and District Industries Centre.