Srinagar, Sep 25: In response to a news article published in a local Urdu daily on September 24, a spokesperson of the Directorate of Handicrafts & Handloom, Kashmir, has reiterated that the Government is undertaking a series of concerted measures for the revival and promotion of languishing crafts, with special focus on the traditional Namda craft.

The spokesperson stated that Namda has recently been accorded Geographical Indication (GI) registration under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, a landmark achievement that safeguards the authenticity of the craft while strengthening its competitive standing against cheaper, machine-made alternatives. The GI tag is expected to serve as a catalyst in revitalizing this centuries-old tradition and enhancing its market visibility at both national and international levels.

In pursuit of this objective, the Directorate has intensified its outreach by encouraging master artisans to avail the benefits of the Department’s flagship Karkhandar Scheme, aimed at capacity building, skill development and knowledge transfer to younger generations. District offices have also been directed to actively engage pass-out trainees to strengthen the grassroots implementation of the scheme. At present, the Department is running nine Elementary and two Advanced Training Centres for Namda, creating a strong framework for skill development and knowledge transfer.

Redoubling its efforts for revival of the craft, under the CAPEX Budget 2025–26, an amount of ₹26.50 lakh has been earmarked for the repair and restoration of the Carding Machine at the UNDP facility, a step that will guarantee uninterrupted availability of quality raw material and thereby reinforce the production base for Namda artisans.

The spokesperson appealed to the public to support the Government’s “Vocal for Local” initiative by buying felted Namdas, emphasizing that collective patronage is essential to provide a level playing field to Namda artisans and to ensure the revival of this unique craft, which forms an integral part of Kashmir’s cultural heritage.

Srinagar, Sept 24: The Jammu and Kashmir government issued an order confirming the probation of directly recruited Deputy Superintendents of Police (DySPs) from the 2011 to 2020 batches.

An order issued by home department J&K, the officers whose names figure in the annexure to the order have been “deemed to have completed their probation satisfactorily” under Rule 22(1)(a) of the J&K Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956, read with Rule 7 of the J&K Police (Gazetted) Service Recruitment Rules, 2024.

From the 2011 batch, Shabir Ahmad Khan, Naeem Ahmad Wani, Syed Yasir Qadri, Furqaan Qadir, Sandeep Bhat. Zahoor Ahmad Pir, Sachin Gupta, Sajad Ahmad Sheikh, Vishal Manhas, Vinod Kumar. Ajay Sharma, Hilal Khaliq Bhat, Fahad Tak, Imtyaz Ahmad Rather, Shah Umar. Baljit Singh, Ghulam Mohd Bhat, Aejaz Ahmad Malik, Shukat Rafiq Wani, Ruhail Mircha. Pardeep Kumar, Syed Majeed Mosavi, Musadiq Majid Basu, Salim Jahangir Lone, Showkat Ahmad Dar. Manish Kumar Sharma, Imtiaz Ahmed, Farhan Jehanzeb Naqash, Sunil Kumar Kesar, Pranav Mahajan. Ashok Sharma, Prithgal Singh, Zaheer Abbas, Shafat Mohd Najar, Fayaz Hussain Shah. Zafar Iqbal Nawaz, Bashir Ahmad, Mir Murtaza Hussain Sohil, Iftkhar Ahmed, Syed Javeed Ahmad.

Basharat Hussain, Peerzada Aijaz Ahmad, Nisar Ahmad, Mohd Irfan Khan, Aumer Iqbal. Syed Sajad Hussain, Mumtaz Ali, Regzin Sandup, Shivali Kotwal, Arvnider Singh Kotwal. Altaf Ahmad Naik, Wajahat Hussain, Mohd Muzaffar Jan, Ishtyaq Ahmad Kacho, Mohd Shafiq. Gh Hassan Sheikh, Rashid Younis, Rajinder Singh, Mohd Shafi Sheikh, Syed Zaheer Abbas Jafari. Mohd Aslam, Chhabil Singh, Ravinder Singh, Mohan Lal, Mohd Aftab Awan. Zahid Aziz Samoon, Atoog Ahmad Wani, Mohammad Usman, Nawaz Ahmad, Govind Rattan. Bikram Kumar, Garu Ram, Nihar Ranjan, it reads.

From 2012 Batch-I, Rameez Rashid, Raies Ahmed Mir, Abid Rashid Mir, Mohd Saleem Bhat, Shivender Singh Jamwal. Rameez Raja, Nikhil Rasgotra, Amit Kumar Sharma, Mubashir Rasool, Ravinder Singh. Sunny Gupta, Tariq Mahmood, Devinder Singh Bandral, Owaise Rashid, Sarfaraz Bashir Ganai. Gh Mustafa Bhat, Shahzada Kabir Mattoo, Ashish Gupta, Ab Raqeeb Malik, Shwetambri Sharma. Hamid Ali Banday, Abdul Maajid Magray, Mir Burhan UI Haq Kanth, Sajad Sarwer, Mudasser Ahmed Tramboo. Vaseem Mehmood, Suresh Kumar Sharma, Nissar Ahmad Darzi, Varun Jandial, Raja Majid Batt. Owais Ahmad Wani, Mohammad Yesser Parrey, Sahil Sharma, Preeti Verma, Dr Showkat Ahmad Bhat.

Mohsina Sebtain, Ajaz Ahmad, Ashaq Hussain Dar, Swati Sharma, Abdul Ghafoor. Mehraj Ud Din Raina, Sachit Mahajan, Sourabh Prashar, Junaid Wali, Mohd Ameen Bhat. Javaid Iqbal Tabassam, Bhupinder Kumar, Tussif Ahmed, Tahir Amin Sheikh, Raiz Ahmed. Sajad Ahmad Malik, Asgar Ali Malik, Imtiaz Ahmed, Pankaj Soodan, Parul Bhardwaj. Jaswant Singh, Albeena Malik, Afrat Hussain Shah, Faraz Hussain Shah, Irshad Ahmad Ahanger. Junaid Hakeem, Shaid Nahiem Ahmed, reads the order.

Order further reads, Aftab Hussain Shah KPS125829, Aishaq Hussain Malik KPS125807, Satish Bhardwaj KPS125695, Hilal Ahmad Hilal KPS125720, Shamsher Singh KPS125723, Ms. Amara Naseem KPS125825, Shahjhan Choudhary KPS125688, Dheraj Singh Katoch KPS125836, Ms. Shazia Akhter KPS125707, Sheikh Mudasir Ahmad Farooqi KPS125831, Kosheen Koul KPS125733, Nikhil Gogna KPS125752, Mansoor Ayaz KPS125685, Zafar Mahdi KPS125738, Altaf Ahmad Khan KPS125683, Ahmad Shaafi Zargar KPS125735, Tanweer Ahmed Jeelani KPS125816, Mohd Nawaz Khandey KPS125736, Imran Malik KPS125694, Mudassar Hussain KPS125805, Pardeep Singh Sen KPS125750, Sheezan Bhat KPS125690, Ajaz Ahmed KPS125830, Neeraj Kumar KPS125824, Lov Karan KPS125799, Rohit Chadgal KPS125823, Jigmet Lhundup KPS125711, Manzoor Ahmad KPS125794, Khalid Ashraf KPS125722, Manoj Kumar KPS125689.

From 2012 batch-II, Zohaib Hassan KPS127948, Syeed Peerzada Mujahidulhaq KPS127911, Ms. Mansha Beg KPS127787, Sunil Singh KPS127947, Surinder Singh KPS127945, Shoket Ali KPS127949, Satish Kumar KPS127950, Mohd Hussain KPS127946.

Feom 2013 batch, Parupkar Singh KPS135822, Sachit Sharma KPS135821, Imtiyaz Ahmad Mir KPS135824, Dr. Azhar Rashid KPS135823, Mohammad Idress Wani KPS135819, Vikram Singh KPS135826, Majad Mehboob KPS135825, Arvind Kumar Badgal KPS135820.

From 2015 batch, Sahil Mahajan KPS155780, Sharad KPS155774, Dr. Bhishm Dubey KPS155779, Javaid Ahmad Lone KPS155778, Ms. Syed Sleet Shah KPS156159, Rahul Nagar KPS155777, Surinder Mohan KPS155786, Dr. Sunniya Wani KPS155787, Ummer Rashied KPS155782, Saqib Ghani KPS155784, Mohd. Rafee Rather KPS155771, Viqar Younus Batt KPS155783, Adil Hussain KPS155785, Ms. Priyanka Kumari KPS165606 (Appointed vide Government Order No.128-GAD of 2016 dated 16.02.2016), Arif Hussain Malik KPS155773, Majad Ali KPS155776, Shammi Kumar KPS155775, Aakash Kohli KPS155781.

Feom 2018 batch, Latief Ahmad Khan KPS185681, Faizan Ali KPS185682, Rohit Kumar KPS185683, Mohammad Ashrif KPS185687, Ishan Gupta KPS185678, Mohd Anzer KPS182334, Ms. Farha Nishat KPS185688, Ms. Nilza Angmo KPS185675.

From 2019 batch, Dheeraj Kumar KPS196911, Ms. Anubuti KPS196912.

From 2020 batch, Adnan Ul Haq KPS205928, Saheel Iqbal KPS205946, Gagan Deep Singh KPS205927, Ms. Sonali Kohli KPS205948, Naseem Akram KPS205938, Faisal Arif Rishu KPS205935, Rajeev Raina KPS205950, Naveed Shoket KPS205951, Shivam Jaggi KPS205949, Rohit Gupta KPS205932, Vikram Nag KPS205953, Ms. Kubra Nazir KPS205944, Ms. Mamta Sharma KPS205945, Mubashar Niaz KPS205947, Umer Urfan KPS205943, Ms. Anam Zahoor Manhas KPS205955, Shakir Hassan KPS205940, Ms. Nidhi Kotwal KPS205939, Faisal Hussain KPS205942, Khadim Hussain KPS205934, Asif Mustafa KPS205952, Sayed Aqeel Shah KPS205931, Rouhan Farooq KPS205941, Ms. Kunzes Dolma KPS205929, Vikram Sarmhal KPS205930, Rajesh Chandan KPS205936, Sumit Bhagat KPS205954, Ms. Anjana KPS205933, Ms. Rukhsana Choudhary KPS21546, reads the order. (KNC)

Srinagar, Sep 25: “Rs. 1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund will be a game changer in the transformation of our cities and developing them as growth hubs,” the Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha said earlier today.

He said the initiative involving states/UTs and private players to redevelop 300 cities across India will promote innovation, robust infrastructure, improve ease of living and integrate sustainability into urban planning.

The Lieutenant Governor was speaking at the Governing Council Meeting of All India Forum of Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (AIFORERA) in Srinagar.

The Lieutenant Governor urged that the ‘Whole of the Government’ approach is needed for advancing this sector and ensuring accountability in timely project delivery.

“The transparency, accountability, and efficiency brought by RERA Act 2016 must protect homebuyers’ interests and swift grievance redressal mechanism is required to transform this sector into a more regulated and efficient industry,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

The Lieutenant Governor also spoke on the intricacies of the Real Estate Sector, its challenges, possibilities and opportunities.

He called upon private players and real estate developers to play their greater role in promoting affordable housing.

“Under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the real estate sector is emerging as one of the major contributors in realising the vision of Viksit Bharat. This rapid growth is driven by the aspirations of the common man. The real estate sector must move forward with equitable development and urban transformation at its core and ensure fairness and transparency for those who dream of owning a home.

I also want to see this sector becoming more competitive to encourage growth. There must be uniformity and harmony in housing regulations across the states and union territories,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

The Lieutenant Governor also exhorted the real estate developers to pay special attention towards the health and education of families of workers engaged in housing development projects.

The Lieutenant Governor said the welfare of those who are building our homes should be the top priority. He further urged the All India Forum of Real Estate Regulatory Authorities to work with developer groups like NAREDCO (National Real Estate Development Council) to ensure that workers and their families are not deprived of their basic rights in any way.

He further emphasised on real-time monitoring of housing development projects and awareness campaigns for the buyers.

On the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor released the Journal and Annual Report 2024-25 of AIFORERA.

Shri Anand Kumar, Chairman, All India Forum of Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (AIFORERA); Shri Satish Chandra, Chairman, J&K Real Estate Regulatory Authority (JKRERA); Ms Mandeep Kaur, Commissioner Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department; Chairpersons of various Real Estate Regulatory Authorities and senior officials attended the inaugural session of the Governing Council Meeting of AIFORERA.

Ganderbal, Sep 25: Authorities in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district have completed the construction of five new water filtration plants in Gund tehsil of Kangan sub-division, a move aimed at addressing the long-pending demand of locals for access to safe drinking water. The projects, executed under the Jal Jeevan Mission, were completed at a combined cost of around 5 crore 90 lakh rupees.

Assistant Executive Engineer of the Jal Shakti Department, Shabir Ahmad Masoodi said that the new filtration plants have been set up at Fraw, Haknar, Gagangir, Rayil, and Rayil Gund. According to him, the cost distribution includes 45 lakh rupees for the Fraw filtration plant, 78 lakh for Haknar, 79 lakh for Gagangir, 78 lakh for Rayil, and 3 crore 50 lakh rupees for the Rayil Gund project.

He explained that the new infrastructure would significantly enhance the quality of potable water being supplied to locals in the hilly areas of Gund, who had often raised concerns about scarcity and contamination in the past. “From the filtration plants at Fraw, Haknar, Gagangir, and Rayil, locals are already receiving clean drinking water. Within the next three days, supply will also be extended to the population from the Rayil Gund plant, which will provide 9 lakh litres of filtered water daily,” Masoodi said.

The official further confirmed that another important project, the Kulan filtration plant, has been completed but has not yet been commissioned due to a dispute with the landowner. The dispute revolved around the owner’s demand for a government job in exchange for the land where the plant was constructed. After prolonged negotiations, the matter has now been settled, and the department has agreed to provide monetary compensation instead of employment. Masoodi assured that once compensation is disbursed, the Kulan plant will be made operational in the near future.

Locals in several parts of Gund expressed relief at the progress made, noting that for years they were dependent on untreated water sources that frequently caused health-related complaints. Many described the initiative as a major step in addressing a persistent problem. “We often had to fetch water from natural streams, which was unsafe and caused illness, especially among children and the elderly. With these filtration plants in place, we finally expect a lasting solution,” said Abdul Hamid, a local from Haknar.

The Jal Shakti Department has faced multiple challenges in extending clean water facilities to remote and mountainous regions of central Kashmir. Officials highlighted that apart from land disputes, difficult terrain, harsh winters, and the need for continuous maintenance of pipelines have delayed earlier projects. Despite these obstacles, the completion of five plants within Gund has been described as a milestone achievement.

Masoodi pointed out that the Jal Jeevan Mission, under which the projects have been implemented, is focused on ensuring safe and adequate drinking water to every rural household. “These plants are not just about providing clean water today but ensuring a sustainable and long-term drinking water system for the future,” he remarked.

The commissioning of the Rayil Gund filtration plant is expected to ease the strain on existing water sources, particularly in the summer months when demand peaks. Officials said that trial runs have been successful and that supply would begin on a regular basis within the stipulated three days.

Meanwhile, the completion of the Kulan plant remains eagerly awaited by locals in that area. Officials believe that with the land dispute now resolved, the commissioning of the plant could happen before the onset of winter. Once operational, the Kulan facility will further expand the clean water supply network in Kangan sub-division.

The Jal Shakti Department has urged locals to cooperate in safeguarding the new infrastructure, stressing that maintaining these facilities is as important as building them. Community participation, they said, would be essential in ensuring that the plants remain functional and effective throughout the year. [KNT]