Srinagar, Feb 26: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has intervened in the alleged illegal dumping of municipal solid waste by the Municipal Committee Awantipora near Padgampora–Dangerpora village along National Highway-44, directing the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee (JKPCC) to conduct a fresh site inspection and asking the municipality to take immediate remedial measures.

The matter came up before the Principal Bench of the NGT, headed by Justice Prakash Srivastava, Chairperson, along with Expert Member Dr Afroz Alam, on a petition filed by social activist Raja Muzaffar Bhat.

During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner informed the tribunal that the Municipal Committee Awantipora was dumping solid waste collected from Awantipora and Tral towns in an unscientific manner at the site, which is located adjacent to an irrigation canal locally known as Padgampora Nehar. It was submitted that the dumping violated provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.

The petitioner’s counsel placed photographs on record to show heaps of waste lying at the site and also referred to an inspection report of the JKPCC dated August 14, 2025, which stated that the dumping site had been established illegally without obtaining prior consent from the pollution control body.

The tribunal was further informed that a show-cause notice was issued by the JKPCC to the Municipal Committee Awantipora on August 14, 2025, for violations of environmental norms and proposing punitive action. Despite this, the municipality allegedly continued dumping waste at the same location.

The order of the NGTs Principal bench reads: “J&K Pollution Control Committee-JKPCC is directed to carry out the fresh inspection and ascertain the quantity of the solid waste which has been illegally dumped in the area and also ascertain since when this waste is lying dumped there and action, if any, taken for remediating the problem. Let a comprehensive report be filed at least one week before the next date of hearing. The other respondents are also directed to file the reply at least one week before the next date of hearing. In the meanwhile, the Respondent No. 3 – Municipal Committee, Awantipora, is directed to take all possible remedial measures”

While welcoming the order of the NGT, petitioner Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat said that crores of rupees were allocated by Govt to MC Awantipora for setting up a sanitary landfill site , but they chose a place which is near the national highway and agriculture fields and mismanaged the funds as well.

“The waste is being directly dumped without any segregation process or treatment in open violation of MSW Rules 2016. I wrote to the Govt and MC Awantipora to rectify their mistakes but they continued to do this illegal work. I was forced to seek NGT’s intervention. I am sure massive Environmental Compensation would be imposed on MC Awantipora after next date of hearing because they have already been reprimanded by JKPCC for this illegal act, “Dr Raja Muzaffar added

The case is again listed for hearing in the National Green Tribunal-NGT on 13th May 2026.

Srinagar, Feb 26: Police seized 13 more vehicles involved in the illegal extraction and transportation of minor minerals in Ganderbal and Shopian districts of Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the statement, In Ganderbal district these vehicles were found transporting illegally extracted material from Nallah Sindh without the mandatory permissions. Acting swiftly and in close coordination with the Geology & Mining Department, teams from the respective police stations intercepted and seized these vehicles on the spot, tightening the clampdown on illegal mineral transportation in the area.

The statement said that illegal extraction not only causes loss to the public exchequer but also poses a serious threat to the ecological balance of the region.

Police strictly warned offenders to desist from illegal mining and mineral transportation, and added that such actions will continue to take stringent legal action against all violators involved in unlawful extraction, transportation, or trade of minerals.

Similary Police Station Zainapora and Police Post Turkwangam also seized seven tractors involved in the unauthorized extraction and transportation of minerals in the Zainapora and Turkwangam areas of the district.

As per the statement, during routine patrolling, a police party from Police Station Zainapora intercepted one Tractor that were found illegally extracting minerals without valid royalty documents. In this regard, FIR No. 16/2026 under relevant sections of law has been registered at Police Station Zainapora and further investigation has been initiated.

Similarly, Police party from Police Post Turkwangam intercepted six Tractors indulging in illegal mining activities without valid royalty documents in Sugan and Turkwangam areas. In this connection FIR No. 17/2026 and 18/2026 under relevant provisions of law has been registered at Police Station Zainapora and further investigation has been initiated.

J&K Police reaffirmed their commitment to protecting the district’s natural resources and ensuring strict legal action against those involved in illegal mining, and urged general public to cooperate by reporting such unlawful activities.

Police maintained the identity of informants will be kept confidential and stringent action will be taken against violators.

Srinagar, Feb 26: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said peace is crucial to development, asserting that places in the Union territory that were once synonymous with conflict, are now beacons of harmony.

“Development requires the oxygen of peace. My government’s primary objective is to provide you with a transparent, democratic, and stable environment,” the chief minister said, addressing the 21st convocation of the University of Kashmir here.

Referring to Pahlagam attack, Abdullah said while the tourism sector in the Union territory is beginning to realise its true potential, it cannot rely solely on the natural beauty of resorts like Gulmarg or Pahalgam.

“We are pioneering border tourism, villages like Keran, Gurez and Teetwal — once synonymous with conflict, are now symbols of connection. We are working with the Union government to develop nine new destinations to ensure that the benefits of tourism reach the last mile,” he said.

Abdullah also urged people to protect the environment. “Our glaciers are receding, our winters are changing. That is why we are investing in sustainable infrastructure, whether it is the use of artificial snow technology to save our ski season in Gulmarg, or the promotion of eco-tents over concrete hotels,” he said.

The chief minister emphasised that tourism of tomorrow should not destroy the nature of today. “I call upon the environmental science graduates here, help us create a green standard for Kashmiri hospitality,” he said.

Abdullah said his government is committed to three tenets — meritocracy, sustainability, and digital sovereignty. “Through reforms in the recruitment process, we want to ensure that recommendation is replaced by qualification, whether you have a son of a shikarawala, or the daughter of a minister, your merit must be your only currency,” he added.

He said while the government is working to restore the full dignity and status of Jammu and Kashmir, the achievement is hollow without an empowered and educated citizenry.

Noting that woman were awarded majority of the degrees at the convocation ceremony, Abdullah said our daughters were our most powerful asset against poverty and instability.

“Out of almost 60,000 degrees or medals being awarded today, over 60 per cent are being earned by our daughters. This is the most powerful weapon we have against poverty and instability. We have moved from women’s welfare to women-led development,” he said.

Addressing the women graduates, Abdullah told them they were not just the future of their families, but the architects of society. “When a woman is educated, an entire generation is uplifted. I want to see you in our civil services, leading our biotech labs, and representing us on the global stage. Your brilliance is the gold medal Jammu and Kashmir wears today,” he said.

He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir are defined by their resilience. “For too long, our economy was viewed through a narrow lens. We were ‘just tourism’ or ‘just agriculture’. But in 2026, we are becoming a hub for innovation and participatory governance. We have faced the trauma of 2025, and the economic setbacks that followed. But, like seeds that must endure the darkness of the soil to become a tree, our resilience has defined us,” he added.

Calling upon science and IT graduates of the university to bridge the gap between the laboratory and the land, the chief minister said they need to work on apps for real-time pest detection in orchards, and blockchain technology for traceability so that even buyers from New York may know that the saffron they purchase is truly from Pampore.

“This is the saffron and silicon vision. We are turning Jammu and Kashmir into a data-friendly zone, with our naturally cool climate, we are the ideal destination for green data centres. We want our youth to be job providers and not just job seekers,” he said.

Abdullah said the government is working on restructuring the industrial policy to incentivise knowledge-based industries.

“We are working to ensure that a biotech graduate from this university doesn’t have to look to Pune or to Hyderabad to find a lab. We want those labs here in the shadows of the Zabarwan range. We are investing in common facilitation centres where your ideas can become the prototypes without the burden of massive initial debt,” he added.

The chief minister also said mental health of the youth must not go ignored. “Our society has walked a path of immense stress and trauma. To the graduates of psychology and social work, your degree is a healing touch. My government is expanding district level counselling through mission youth, but we need you to destigmatise the conversation.” he added.

Srinagar, Feb 26: Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Thursday said the nation needs to let go of its colonial mindset to emerge as a global leader in innovations.

Radhakrishnan was addressing the 21st convocation of the University of Kashmir here.

“As a graduating student, I urge you all to focus on Swadeshi innovation and solutions that are rooted in Indian knowledge, resources, and needs. We need not be worried; we need not be inferior. We are to throw out our colonial mindset first,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country more vibrant and more supportive than ever before, he said.

“My best wishes to you to share the next big innovation, the next way of sustainable development, the next chapter in India’s prize as a global leader,” the vice president added.

Referring to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said the prime minister gave a call for all the scientists of the country to develop a vaccine for the epidemic.

“How many of us believed in it? But we found the best vaccination, and it has worked very well for the entire humanity,” he added.

The vice president further said that the same vaccination has been researched and developed by the most well-developed Western economies, but all of them were running behind on how to patent it so that they can sell it for a very high price.

“Yes, a unit of vaccination can be sold for USD 7,500, but how can a poor man afford that?” he added.

He said Indian innovations are widely accepted by the Western world as well. “So the whole world is open for you now, it is your initiative, it is your interest. It is your enthusiasm, and your hard work is going to put you at the top of the world,” he added.

Radhakrishnan said recently the central government has approved the development and expansion of the Srinagar International Airport, at an estimated cost of over Rs 1600 crores.

“It was mentioned by our chief minister, Omar Abdullah, that tourism is to be expanded, but it has to be expanded without affecting the ecosystem of our great state,” he said.

The Chenab rail bridge across the river is a marvel, being the highest railway bridge, he added.

“There are many other infrastructure projects which send out a bigger message. These projects are more than engineering achievements. They are the instruments of social harmony. When places are connected, people are connected. And when people are connected, hearts are closely connected,” he said.

The vice president said these initiatives also create new opportunities for the youth, like the ones graduating today.

“PM special scholarship schemes for students of Jammu and Kashmir act as a great opportunity, aspiration, and national integration by enabling students to study in institutions across the country,” he said.

Urging students to stay away from drugs, Radhakrishnan said, “Your parents are depending on you that you will take care of them in their old age….They want you to be successful in your life.”

Every religion treats narcotics as the most sinful product, so keep away from drugs, he added.

“Advise your friends, family members, and whoever you are meeting, to stay away from drug use,” he said.

The vice president also advised the youth to be mindful of social media usage. “This has to be controlled. Social media will not help you to come out more successful in your life. Everything should have its own limits,” he said.

Radhakrishnan said he wanted to tell the students three lines: “Three lines I want to tell you. Mera Kashmir nahi, tumhara Kashmir nahi, Hamara Kashmir. That is what I want from all of you.”