Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today met several delegations at his Public Services and Outreach Office (Raabita) here and held discussions on matters relating to banking, youth development, heritage conservation, and the promotion of art and culture in Jammu and Kashmir.

Managing Director and CEO of J&K Bank, Amitava Chatterjee, called on the Chief Minister during a courtesy meeting. Various issues concerning the banking sector, financial outreach and customer services were discussed. The MD & CEO briefed the Chief Minister on efforts to further strengthen the Bank’s operations across Jammu and Kashmir for improved customer experience and service delivery.

Director General of the National Cadet Corps (NCC), Lt. Gen. Virendra Vats, accompanied by Additional Director General, NCC Directorate J&K and Ladakh, Maj. Gen. Anupinder Bevli, also met the Chief Minister. The delegation discussed matters relating to NCC activities, youth engagement and the expansion of cadet initiatives across Jammu and Kashmir.

A delegation from the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), led by its Convener and Head, Saleem Beg, and Principal Architect, Sameer Hamdani, gave a detailed presentation to the Chief Minister on the preservation and restoration of heritage assets in Kashmir.

The delegation also highlighted concerns regarding water management in the Mughal Gardens of Kashmir in the context of climate change and stressed the need for sustainable conservation measures.

The Chief Minister assured the visiting delegation that the government remains committed to the preservation, protection and promotion of the rich artistic, cultural and architectural heritage of Jammu and Kashmir.

Shopian, May 26: Persistent traffic congestion in South Kashmir’s Shopian town has become a daily ordeal for commuters and residents, with major roads witnessing frequent gridlocks that disrupt movement, delay ambulances and expose long-standing infrastructural shortcomings.
Key stretches, including Hospital Road, Four Way Chowk and Bonabazar, are witnessing regular bumper-to-bumper traffic, particularly during peak hours, turning short commutes into prolonged delays and causing inconvenience to motorists, pedestrians and residents.

Residents blame the worsening traffic situation primarily on the absence of adequate parking facilities, widespread roadside and wrong-side parking by commuters and shopkeepers, and increasing vehicular movement on already narrow roads. According to locals, busy commercial areas have effectively turned into bottlenecks, severely hampering smooth traffic flow.

“Sometimes it takes half an hour just to cover 200 to 300 metres near Hospital Road,” said Ashiq Hussain, a commuter, while describing the severity of daily congestion. He said the widening of some crucial roads in the town had become necessary to ease pressure on existing infrastructure and improve mobility.
Social activist Mitha Gatoo echoed similar concerns, saying patients are among the worst affected due to recurring traffic jams on Hospital Road, a vital route connecting healthcare facilities and commercial areas.

“Patients suffer the most due to traffic jams along this crucial road,” he said, adding that ambulances frequently get trapped in congestion, resulting in potentially dangerous delays during medical emergencies.

Calling for immediate corrective measures, Gatoo demanded the construction of concrete dividers along major roads to streamline vehicular movement and reduce chaos. He also identified the lack of designated parking spaces as a major contributor to congestion.
Gatoo further pointed out that a mechanised parking facility, which was expected to ease pressure in the town, has remained incomplete despite being under construction for more than a year, aggravating inconvenience for commuters and traders alike.

An official acknowledged the growing problem and said traffic personnel have been deployed at several congested locations to regulate vehicular movement and reduce jams. The official expressed hope that completion of the proposed mechanised parking facility would significantly ease traffic pressure and provide long-term relief to residents and commuters in Shopian town.

Srinagar, May 26: Pleasant weather conditions are expected to continue across Kashmir on Eid eve and in the days ahead, with the Meteorological Department forecasting no significant heatwave activity in Jammu and Kashmir over the next 10 days.

Officials said daytime temperatures across the Valley are likely to remain close to seasonal averages. At the same time, intermittent cloud cover and brief weather disturbances are expected to prevent any prolonged rise in temperatures.

Weather conditions improved across Kashmir on Tuesday as bright sunshine returned after several days of cloudy conditions and intermittent rainfall.

“The weather will remain generally warm and dry on Wednesday as well, with temperatures staying near normal. However, brief spells of intermittent rain at isolated places towards evening cannot be ruled out,” Meteorological Department (MeT) Director Mukhtar Ahmad said.

He said partly to generally cloudy weather is expected from May 28 to May 30, with chances of brief light rain and thundershowers at isolated places, mainly during late afternoon hours.

“Overall, no major weather activity is expected till the end of this month,” Ahmad added.

The department has already issued an advisory warning of isolated thunderstorms, hailstorms and gusty winds with speeds of 40-50 kmph on May 28 and 29.

On Tuesday, Srinagar recorded a maximum temperature of 26 degrees Celsius, close to normal for this time of the year. Qazigund recorded 26.4 degrees Celsius, Kokernag 25.5 degrees Celsius and Kupwara 23.8 degrees Celsius. Pahalgam and Gulmarg recorded 20.6 degrees Celsius and 16.6 degrees Celsius, respectively.

In contrast, the Jammu region continued to witness intense heat, although traces of rainfall over the past few days brought slight relief in some areas.

Jammu city recorded a maximum temperature of 40 degrees Celsius, nearly two degrees above normal. Katra recorded 37.8 degrees Celsius, Banihal 26.7 degrees Celsius, Batote 28.5 degrees Celsius and Bhaderwah 28 degrees Celsius.

Officials said temperatures in the plains of Jammu are expected to rise further before witnessing a gradual decline from Thursday evening onwards.

A more noticeable drop is likely on Friday and Saturday, bringing relief from the recent hot conditions.

However, temperatures may begin to rise again from May 31.

The MeT said prevailing weather systems and localised disturbances are likely to keep extreme heat conditions at bay across Jammu and Kashmir during the current forecast period.