Srinagar, Mar 19: The tourist resorts of Gulmarg and Sonamarg, along with several areas in the higher reaches of Kashmir, experienced fresh snowfall, while the plains were affected by heavy rains, officials said on Thursday.

Gulmarg, located in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, and Sonamarg, in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, both received fresh snowfall, which was ongoing intermittently until the last reports were received.

Officials stated that approximately five to six inches of new snow had accumulated at the Gulmarg resort since the previous day.

Other higher-altitude areas also reported fresh snowfall, including Pir Ki Gali along the Mughal Road in Shopian district, as well as Razdan Top, Gurez in Bandipora, and Sadhna Top in Kupwara. Most upper regions of the valley have experienced intermittent snowfall since Sunday.

In contrast, the plains of the valley, including Srinagar, were affected by heavy rain. The officials noted that this wet weather has resulted in lower temperatures across the region.

The Meteorological Department has forecast erratic weather conditions until March 20. It indicated the possibility of intermittent light to moderate rain or snow across most areas until Friday. The higher reaches of the Chenab valley and regions in south Kashmir may experience moderate to heavy snowfall.

The MeT Office anticipated generally dry weather from March 21-24, but mentioned a chance of a brief spell of rain or snow in some areas on March 23.

From March 26-28, there is a likelihood of light rain or snow, particularly in higher altitudes, while another spell of rain or snow is expected from March 29-31.

Additionally, there could be occurrences of thunder and gusty winds, reaching speeds of 40-50 km/h, in some areas, with a possibility of isolated hailstorms.

The MeT Office advised farmers to resume agricultural operations after March 21.

Srinagar, Mar 19: A delegation of the Jammu & Kashmir Electrical Engineering Graduates Association (JKEEGA), led by its President Er. Pirzada Hidayatullah, today called on Nasir Aslam Wani, Advisor to the Chief Minister, at his office in Gupkar.

During the meeting, the delegation raised several long-pending and critical issues affecting the engineering fraternity, prominently including promotions from Junior Engineer (JE) to Assistant Engineer (AE) and from AE to Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE), closure of RDA cases of JEs, and matters pertaining to regularisation.

The Advisor gave a patient and considerate hearing to the issues projected and conveyed that the Chief Minister is closely monitoring the functioning and progress of the power sector.

He assured the delegation that all genuine concerns would be addressed in a time-bound and pragmatic manner.

The interaction concluded on a constructive and positive note, with the delegation expressing confidence and optimism regarding the early resolution of the issues highlighted.

The delegation included Er. Fayaz A. Wani, Er. Suhail Murtaza, Er. Ajaz Jan, Er. Farhan Manzoor Shah, Er. Mudasir Nabi, and Er. Aamir Masoodi.

Srinagar, Mar 19: Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) has busted a sophisticated international cyber fraud racket and arrested seven suspects from Srinagar, officials said on Thursday.

An official said CIK-CID received technical inputs about covert call centres engaged in fraudulent online activities targeting foreign and local nationals.

Specialised teams comprising technical experts and field operatives were constituted, which carried out surveillance and digital intelligence gathering across multiple locations. The teams identified a key operational hub at the Industrial Area in Rangreth here, he said.

Subsequently, coordinated raids were conducted at different locations in the city, leading to the arrest of seven suspects. A large quantity of digital and communication equipment, including 13 mobile phones, nine laptops, VoIP systems, SIM cards, networking devices and digital storage media, was seized.

The seized devices include multiple smartphones, laptops and an iPad, the official said.

He said the accused had set up an unregistered call centre using VoIP-based systems to generate international virtual numbers and mask their location through server routing and spoofing techniques.

“They posed as legitimate service providers and targeted victims through online phishing advertisements and fake websites. Once a user clicked on the advertisement, a toll-free number appeared, which was operated by the suspects,” he said.

The victims were allegedly duped into sharing banking and personal details, following which funds were transferred into various accounts, including mule accounts and cryptocurrency wallets.

No cash transactions were involved and the financial trail indicates transactions running into crores, the official said.

The seized material contains incriminating evidence indicating an organised and technologically advanced network, he added.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of law and further investigation is underway.(KNS)

Shopian, Mar 18: Police in south Kashmir’s Pulwama and Shopian districts have intensified action against illegal mining and narcotics-related activities, seizing multiple vehicles in separate operations, officials said.

In Pulwama, police carried out a special operation in the Akhal and Drubgam areas of Rajpora as part of an ongoing drive against illegal mining. During the operation, police teams seized vehicles allegedly involved in the illegal extraction and transportation of minerals, including two JCB machines, one dumper and two tractors.

Accordingly, FIR No. 34/2026 and FIR No. 35/2026 have been registered under relevant provisions of law, including Section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 3 of the Public Property Damage (PPD) Act. Further investigation in both cases has been taken up, officials said.

In a separate action in Shopian, police seized a Swift car bearing registration number JK13J-3347, valued at approximately Rs 6,80,960, as part of a sustained crackdown on narcotics-related activities.

The vehicle belongs to Ishfaq Ahmad Koka, son of Abdul Majeed Koka, a resident of Melhura Zainapora, and was identified as having been acquired through proceeds generated from the illegal sale of drugs and narcotics, officials said.

The seizure was carried out under the provisions of Section 68 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in connection with FIR No. 04/2026 registered at Police Station Zainapora, in strict compliance with legal procedures and protocols.

Police reiterated their commitment to act firmly against illegal mining and eradicate the drug menace, urging the public to cooperate by sharing information related to such activities.

Srinagar, Mar 18: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has disposed of a batch of writ petitions filed by various hoteliers of Gulmarg after the petitioners sought withdrawal to pursue the settlement of the dispute with the government. These petitions called in question the constitutional validity of J&K Land Grant Rules 2022.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Arun Palli and Justice Rajnesh Oswal allowed the withdrawal after senior counsel Z A Shah at the very outset submitted that it would be expedient if the petitioners were permitted to withdraw the petitions to enable them to move the Government in the first instance to resolve the dispute.

In response to the submission, senior AAG Mohsin Qadri, on instructions, submitted that the Government, too, was not averse to any fair, equitable and viable solution to the whole dispute.

The senior AAG submitted that in the event the petitioners move any representation(s) within two weeks, the same would be taken cognisance by the competent authority, according to the Court order of March 5.

“And the same shall be considered in the right earnest and before any formal decision is reached, the petitioners shall also be adequately heard. Whereupon, a decision taken by the competent authority shall be conveyed to all the petitioners individually”.

The Court observed that the counsel appearing in the petitions have already concluded their arguments and the matter was posted to hear senior AAG on behalf of the Government.

“In the wake of the position sketched out above and in terms of the statement made by learned counsel for the respective parties, we are not required to delve any further into the merits,” the court said and disposed of the petitions, accordingly.

“But before we part with the matter, we may hasten to record that we had heard these petitions at length on numerous occasions and invested considerable judicial time to take the matter to its logical end. And but for the changed position that has emerged before the Court, possibly we would have concluded the proceedings today itself” the Court said.

In 2022, the union Territory administration led by the Lieutenant Governor introduced the J&K Land Grant Rules.

The Rules were issued purportedly in exercise of powers under Section 4 read with Section 9 of the Jammu and Kashmir Land Grants Act, notified by the Government vide SO 668 of 2022 dated 09.12.2022.

Under the new framework, the practice of extending leases after their expiry was discontinued, and such properties are to be put up for auction through open bidding, making them accessible to any Indian citizen.

The impact is particularly evident in the tourist resort of Gulmarg, where a majority of hotels are built on leased land. As 55 leases have expired among 59 hotels leaving proprietors at risk of eviction and auction.