Udhampur, Jun 4: The two-day Table Tennis Championship organised by the J&K Sports Council in collaboration with the District Table Tennis Association, Udhampur, under the NashaMukt Bharat Abhiyan, an initiative of the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, concluded on Thursday at the Indoor Hall, Subash Stadium, Udhampur.

With participation of around 120 players across various categories, the event, as per an official statement, aimed to promote sports among the youth and to raise awareness about a drug-free society through healthy recreational activities.

The Additional District Development Commissioner, Udhampur, JugalAnand, was the chief guest at the closing ceremony. Addressing the participants, he appreciated the efforts of the organisers and encouraged young players to take up sports as a means of personal development and social responsibility.

The District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Udhampur, Tarseem Singh, attended as the guest of honour and congratulated all participants for their dedication and performance throughout the championship.

Among those present were the Manager, Subash Stadium, Udhampur, SurajBhan; the General Secretary, Udhampur Table Tennis Association (UTTA), Tarun; the Treasurer, UTTA, PrikshitKhajuria; the Treasurer, JKCA, RajanSlathia and JatinSethi.

Maninder Singh and SahilMalgotra officiated the matches, ensuring the smooth conduct of the tournament.

The organisers thanked all players, officials, guests and supporters for making the championship a success. The event concluded with the distribution of prizes to the winners and participants.

Jammu, Jun 04: District administration Jammu today raided premise of Aman Arms Company at Railhead Shopping Complex and unearthed a series of serious violations flagged as of immediate concern to public safety and firearms regulation.

In a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO)  an official spokesman said,  “A surprise inspection team led by Tehsildar Bahu, Raju Sambyal and Tehsildar HQ, Mona Chalotra raided the premises of Aman Arms Company at Railhead Shopping Complex and unearthed a series of serious violations flagged as of immediate concern to public safety and firearms regulation.”

“The inspection, carried out under the direct directions of District Magistrate Jammu, Dr. Rakesh Minhas, revealed that the establishment had been operating entirely without a valid arms dealership license. The dealership license application of Aman Shop had been rejected in the year 2024, rendering all commercial activity conducted by the shop in the capacity of an arms dealer not only unauthorised, but a direct violation of the Arms Act, 1959 and the Arms Rules, 2016,” the statement said, adding, “More alarmingly, the inspection team recovered multiple Gun Licences from the premises which were last renewed from other districts including Poonch, Kishtwar, Ganderbal, Pulwama. A number of personal documents belong to license holders were also retrieved. Complaints had also been received by the district administration that the establishment was refusing to return firearms licences to their rightful holders; a practice strongly suggestive of exploitation of licence holders under the pretext of offering renewal or allied facilitation services through unauthorised, illegal means.”

District Magistrate, Dr Rakesh Minhas, while taking serious cognisance of the violations, has directed that appropriate legal action be initiated against those responsible. He further reiterated that the district administration will continue to conduct inspections of arms dealerships and enforce full compliance with applicable laws and Home Department directives without exception.

The District Administration, Jammu, once again called upon all arms license holders and members of the public to exercise extreme caution and vigilance. No middleman, agent or unlicensed shop has any authority whatsoever to assist, facilitate, expedite, or accept any payment in connection with the renewal, application or surrender of firearms licenses.

All services related to arms licenses, including renewal of existing licenses, application for fresh licenses and surrender of weapons etc, can be accessed conveniently, transparently and without any intermediary through the National Database of Arms Licenses — Arms Licensing and Information System (NDAL-ALIS), the official Government of India portal, accessible at https://ndal-alis.gov.in

Citizens are strongly urged to report any individual or establishment soliciting money, licenses or documents on the pretext of facilitating arms license services to the office of the District Magistrate, Jammu.