Jammu, Sep 12: Union Minister Jitendra Singh Friday visited the flood-affected areas along the International Border in Hiranagar in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir. He also visited Paharpur village along the Zero Line of the Indo-Pak International Border, which was badly affected by floods.

The union minister met the victims and assured them of all possible help in their rehabilitation. On the occasion, he distributed relief material among the victims.

The minister also visited the dilapidated house of one of the affected, Roop Lal, and spent some time with the family, and had tea served by the family.

He interacted with locals who narrated the loss of their standing crops due to inundation.

Singh directed the district administration to expedite the crop damage assessment so that compensation could be provided to the affected farmers at the earliest.

He further informed that the district administration had already submitted the list of houses fully or partially damaged for relief under the SDRF norms.

Highlighting the government’s measures for relief in border areas, the union minister said that Rs 50 lakh worth of nano-technology-based vehicles were deployed to ensure the well-being of border residents.

Earlier, he visited a relief camp organised for the flood affected.

He inspected mobile and domestic water filters and purifying units and handed them over to the district administration for installation in the affected areas so that the victims could have access to safe drinking water in this difficult time.

Singh said these units would serve the sanitation needs of the flood-affected people and help prevent the spread of water-borne diseases in the calamity-struck areas.

The domestic water purifier units are designed for household use and can purify drinking water without the need for electricity, while the mobile water purifying unit, with a capacity of 3000–4000 litres per hour, can draw water from any source and runs on power from the vehicle on which it is installed.

The launch of these units is expected to strengthen safe drinking water access in vulnerable areas.

Later, Singh visited Border Out Post, BOP-Paharpur, where he was given a detailed briefing on the role of the border force during the rescue and relief operations at the time of floods in the area.

On the occasion, he addressed the soldiers to appreciate their work during the natural disaster, saying they played an important role in saving precious lives.

Singh underlined that the soldiers remained at the forefront and reached the affected people even before the local civil administration.

He informed the gathering that the Government of India was committed to building the multi-purpose dam on the Ujh rivulet.

On the last leg of his visit, Singh visited the flood-affected people in the border area of Ramgarh in Samba district.

He also met BSF personnel at BOP Tanwar, Kamore in Samba.

Singh assured that the government was ready to provide all kinds of assistance to the local administration in the rehabilitation of the flood-affected.

He said Prime Minister Narendra had already pledged all help for the victims.

Jammu, Sep 12: Just a day ahead of the commencement of new Delhi-Budgam-Delhi Joint Parcel Product Rapid Cargo Train (JPP-RCT) service to provide much sought-after reprieve to the Kashmir fruit growers on September 13, stranded apple-laden parcel train from Budgam Friday reached Jammu.

“Historic moment for fruit growers, traders and aggregators of the valley as the first delivery of apples was given successfully at Jammu Railway Station on date. The apples were transported from Budgam to Jammu in less than 6 hours by rail,” stated Senior Commercial Divisional Manager of Jammu Railway Division, Uchit Singhal.

Loading of two dedicated parcel vans (VPs), for their maiden run carrying stranded apples, from Budgam had begun on September 11, 2025, thus marking a historic era of transformation. Carrying stranded perishable fruit, out of these two Vehicle Parcel (LVPH coaches) trains carrying 46 metric tonnes (MT) – each 23 metric tonnes – of apples, one was bound for Jammu while the destination for the second VP was Adarsh Nagar in Delhi.

Meanwhile, sharing important update about the daily parcel train that will run between Budgam and Adarsh Nagar in Delhi from September 13, 2025, Singhal said, “The first JPP-RCT service, after commencing from Adarsh Nagar tomorrow, will reach Budgam. Parcel train will get loaded on September 14 from Budgam and will start in the morning of September 15.”

He stated, “Service has been highly patronised by the traders and fruit growers combined. Resultantly, the first trip of 8 VPs (parcel vans of 23 tonnes capacity each) has been fully booked by the registered fruit-traders, aggregators, fruit-growers and merchants mainly for apples.”

Singhal asserted that it was a very unique initiative taken by the railways and liked by the fruit growers and traders. “The initiative is likely to boost the economy of the J&K and give an equal opportunity and level playing field to all the small, medium and large-scale fruit growers and traders of the Valley,” he reiterated.

The daily time-tabled (regular) parcel train will start from September 13 from Adarsh Nagar Delhi for Budgam and it will depart from Budgam to Delhi on September 15, 2025.

It will be a daily service henceforth and will comprise 8 VPs and Seating cum Luggage Rake (SLR). A notification for an 8 Vehicle Parcel (VP) daily time-tabled Joint Parcel Product- Rapid Cargo Service (JPP-RCS) parcel train Adarsh Nagar-Bari Brahmana-Budgam (Ex ANDI – BBMN – BDGM) was issued.

According to railway authorities, this 8 Vehicle Parcel train will originate from Budgam Railway Station (BDGM) at 6.15 am and reach Adarsh Nagar Railway Station (ANDI) at 5 am the next day – a very suitable time for apples to arrive at the Delhi market early in the morning. They assert that more wagons would be added if demand increased.

This dedicated JPP-RCS train service has been launched by Indian Railways to ensure efficient, timely and safe transportation of perishable produce—primarily fruits—to markets across India.

“The new service will operate daily on the Budgam–Adarsh Nagar Delhi–Budgam (BDGM–ANDI–BDGM) route, facilitating improved market access and reducing post-harvest losses. This initiative is expected to significantly benefit both fruit growers and consumers by minimizing spoilage and ensuring the produce reaches its destination in fresh condition,” Singhal said.

To facilitate the business class, the facility of loading and unloading of goods will be provided at Bari Brahmana station. Security arrangements will be made by the Jammu and Kashmir Police. Security will be ensured on both sides of the train. The first service of this parcel would depart from Adarsh Nagar Delhi to Budgam at 12.10 pm on September 13, 2025 and would depart from Budgam to Delhi at 6.15 am on September 15, 2025.c

Kishtwar, Sep 12: The District Magistrate Kishtwar on Friday ordered a temporary restriction on vehicular movement along the Kishtwar–Dul Road at KM 8.50 (near RR Camp) to facilitate blasting of a massive boulder that had fallen on the road following torrential rains earlier this month.

An order issued by District Magistrate Pankaj Kumar Sharma, vehicular traffic on the stretch will remain suspended on 13 September 2025 between 1:30 pm and 3:00 pm to ensure safe execution of blasting operations. The activity has been scheduled by the concerned agency to clear the obstruction and restore smooth movement of heavy vehicles.

The Officer Commanding, 118 RCC (GREF), has been directed to ensure timely completion of the blasting work and adopt all safety measures during the operation, while the Senior Superintendent of Police, Kishtwar, will oversee strict implementation of the order.

DM further instructed the District Information Officer to give wide publicity to the restriction through print, electronic, and social media, ensuring commuters plan their travel accordingly.

Jammu, Sep 12: Union minister Jitendra Singh on Friday highlighted the challenges related to predicting the exact forecasting of earthquakes and cloudbursts and said that efforts are on to study the contributing factors behind cloudbursts so that early warning can be provided.

“There is no exact forecasting capability for earthquakes and cloudbursts yet, but we are studying the contributing factors behind cloudbursts. Typically, when there is humidity and heat at a particular place, it tends to become explosive (a trigger for cloudbursts). If we can identify these contributing factors, we can at least provide possible early warnings,” Singh told reporters at a Vartalap programme organised by PIB here.

He added that the department has also initiated programmes like the Himalayan ecology mission to understand these phenomena better.

Speaking on improving weather forecasting, Singh said there is a plan to establish a full-fledged IMD regional centre in Jammu, besides installing four more weather radars in the Union territory.

At the programme, Singh also discussed lithium exploration in Reasi district and stated that the process will be restarted following a poor response initially during the tendering stage.

“Once exploration is carried out, we will know the actual quantity of lithium present. Several specialised companies exist in the country, but perhaps none have come forward so far. We will restart the process,” he said.

Singh also mentioned the growth of startups in the country and said that India has risen to become the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world, with the number of startups increasing exponentially from just 350 in 2014 to over 1.5 lakh in 2025.

He highlighted the CSIR-Aroma Mission in Jammu & Kashmir, under which over 3,000 lavender-based startups have been established across rural India.

“These startups are not only generating substantial income but also creating employment opportunities, thereby transforming the lives of thousands of families.

He further said that Jammu can become a hub for the perfume industry if distillation facilities are set up here instead of outside. “We invite the private industry to join hands with us for this,” he said.

Discussing international collaboration, Singh said, “There is a perfume hub in France called Grasse, a village famous for growing flowers used in perfumes. I visited Grasse and spoke with the Consul General there. We aim to add value to local products and better integrate the private sector in this mission.”

He also praised the media for playing a transformative role in shaping the science and technology landscape and highlighting issues related to the environment.