Srinagar, Sep 22: The National Health Mission (NHM) Jammu and Kashmir has ordered a 5 per cent salary increment for all contractual employees.

According to an order issued by Mission Director NHM J&K, Baseer Ul Haq Chaudhary (IAS), it applies to all employees working under the programme at state, divisional, district and block levels, including NUHM and disease control programmes, for the financial year 2025–26.

The increment will be applicable as per service completion timelines. Employees who completed one year of service by or before March 31, 2025, will receive the increment with effect from April 1, 2025, the order reads.

Those completing one year by or before September 30, 2025, will get the increment from October 1, 2025, while employees completing one year after September 30, 2025, will receive it from April 1, 2026, it reads.

The decision follows the approval of the NHM SPIP 2025–26 for J&K by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and subsequent clearance of budget sheets by the State Health Society. (KNC)

Srinagar, Sep 22: A police constable posted at Police Station Pantha Chowk died after suffering a massive heart attack on Monday.

An official said that the deceased has been identified as Constable Nayeem Ahmad Sheikh, 39, son of Mohammad Idrees Sheikh, a resident of Tangdar Karnah in Kupwara district.

He said Sheikh collapsed at the police station and died on the spot. His body was later shifted to Police Hospital Srinagar for medico-legal examination and other formalities.

Cognizance of the incident has been taken and further investigation initiated. (KNC)

Ganderbal, Sep 21: Ganderbal is craving for road widening with the concerned authorities not taking any concerte steps to address the issue.

Though being considered as a priority road which is connecting vital areas and serving from Srinagar to Ganderbal, Mansbal, Kangan, Sonamarg and even Ladakh traffic the much awaited road widening from Paandach to Wayil seem to be nowhere leaving the people fuming.

Daily traffic congestion has become a major source of frustration for students, traders and government employees in Ganderbal district, particularly along the Nagbal to Wayil and Duderhama – Tawheed Chowk stretch. Commuters attribute the chaos to the narrow road.

“The roads network in the town is below par. Though the traffic has increased manifold but the roads remain to be same,” the residents said. They said the encroachments on the road sides and even the footpaths have made the things worse. The Beehama Chowk, a crucial stretch of the Srinagar-Ladakh highway in ganderbal has been witnessing harrowing traffic jams for years while the authorities has done little except for holding meetings after meetings for solution to the problem, which is swelling with the growing number of vehicles.

Locals said that at peak and evening hours, the traffic on the busy road remains badly affected as vehicles are seen stranded. The road leading to Tawheed chowk witness frequent traffic jams due to narrow road causing hardships to commuters on daily basis. Though the district administration and the Traffic police had taken some remedial measures in the past few months, the delay in actual road widening has been affecting traffic regulation. Locals said that though repeated assurances from various politicians and officers claim that the road widening project from Paandach upto Wayil has been taken up by the government however years have passed the project work seem to be invisible on the ground so far leaving commuters to suffer.

A senior official in Revenue Department here told Greater Kashmir that the project work is being actively carried , adding that the survey and other work is completed and report submitted to higher authorities. “ The project is in progress and being carried actively, however there are some important paper work besides other formalities to be completed after that any visible progress on ground can be seen “ the official said. “The survey has been conducted, and the land acquisition has been done , now we are waiting for the funds and hopefully soon the work will start on ground for the road widening project “ he added. Meanwhile the locals have urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who is also the local MLA to intervene and resolve the issue.