Srinagar, Dec 31: Security has been beefed up across the Valley, particularly at tourist spots, in view of New Year celebrations, officials said on Wednesday.

To ensure peaceful festivities, a multi-layered security is being maintained at key tourist destinations, they said, adding, there has been a significant deployment of security forces at such locations.

Checking and surveillance has been intensified across the Kashmir valley, especially at venues where New Year celebrations are scheduled to take place, officials said.

Additional checkpoints have been set up at important entry points, with increased patrolling, area domination operations, and surprise inspections being conducted along the vital roadways in the Valley to avert any untoward incident, they added.

Vehicles are being thoroughly searched at the entry and exit points of Srinagar and a high-level of alertness is being maintained at all major tourist spots, the officials said.

Last week, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir Zone, V K Birdi, reviewed the security situation and preparedness for the New Year celebration.

The IGP chaired a security review meeting at the Police Control Room, Kashmir, during which, officers briefed on the security arrangements and deployment plans.

The IGP had directed that all preparations be completed in advance and instructed strengthening checking at naka points, especially during night hours, and maintaining heightened vigilance at vulnerable locations across the Valley.

Birdi had emphasised the need for strict vigilance against elements posing threats to peace and security.

He underscored the importance of maintaining a high level of alertness, along with enhanced area domination within respective jurisdictions.

With an expected rise in tourist footfall around the New Year celebrations, IGP Kashmir emphasised multi-layered security at key tourist destinations, including cable car terminals, forest tracks, crowded tourist spots, and major access routes, a police spokesperson had said.

Srinagar, Dec 31: Fresh snowfall blanketed several areas in the higher reaches of Kashmir with the Meteorological department forecasting light to moderate precipitation at most places over the next 24 hours, officials said on Wednesday.

Owing to a cloud cover, the night temperatures remained higher than the seasonal average and settled above the freezing point at most places, the officials said.

Despite the fresh snow, the valley continues to experience an unusually warm winter, with temperatures remaining three to seven degrees above the seasonal average, the MeT officials said.

They said parts of North Kashmir, including Gurez in Bandipora, Gulmarg in Baramulla and Macchil in Kupwara, experienced fresh snowfall, with reports of light to moderate snowfall in higher reaches as well.

The MeT office has said there is a possibility of light to moderate rain/snow at most places during Wednesday night to Thursday forenoon.

A few higher reaches/extreme higher reaches of north and central Kashmir may receive moderate to heavy snowfall, it added.

There is a possibility of a brief spell of light rain/snow over isolated places on Friday as well, it said.

On Tuesday night, Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of 2.3 degrees Celsius, which is 4.9 degrees Celsius above the normal for this time of year, they said.

Gulmarg remained the coldest location in the region with the mercury settling at minus 3.0 degrees Celsius, officials said.

The night temperature remained almost three degrees above the usual temperature.

In south Kashmir, Pahalgam recorded a low of minus 1.8 degrees Celsius — seven degrees above the normal temperature, and Qazigund, the gateway town of the valley, saw the mercury settle at 1.4 degrees Celsius.

The region is currently going through ‘Chilla-e-Kalan’, a 40-day period of extreme cold. During this phase, night temperatures typically drop between three and eight degrees below the freezing point. However, current readings show a departure from normal patterns.

Srinagar, Dec 31: Terming free trade agreements (FTAs) with foreign countries a “body blow” to India’s apple economy, cold store owners from Jammu and Kashmir have stated that any reduction in import duties on apples would devastate domestic growers and dismantle the fragile horticulture ecosystem of hill states.

Representatives of the Jammu & Kashmir Fruits & Vegetables Processing and Integrated Cold Chain Association (JKPICCA), an amalgam of cold store owners from the Union Territory, raised these concerns during a meeting with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Delhi. JKPICCA was part of the Hill States Horticulture Forum (HSHF), a collective platform representing apple growers and allied stakeholders from Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

JKPICCA president Bashir Ahmad Naik said the delegation clearly communicated that tariff concessions under FTAs would severely undermine the domestic apple industry. “We have raised our apprehensions in unambiguous terms. Any dilution of the existing customs duty structure will be disastrous for growers as well as for the cold-chain infrastructure painstakingly developed over decades in Jammu and Kashmir and other hill states,” he said.

A high-level delegation of the Hill States Horticulture Forum, led by Harish Chouhan and comprising representatives including Maajid A. Wafai, Bashir Ahmad Naik, Izhan Javeed, Irshad A. Bhat and Sunil Aggarwal, met the Union Agriculture Minister at his residence to press for immediate government intervention.

The delegation told the Minister that horticulture—particularly apple cultivation—is the backbone of hill-state economies, supporting lakhs of farming families and a wide range of allied activities, including labour employment, transport, cold storage, grading, packaging and wholesale trade. Any policy shock to the apple sector, they said, would have cascading effects across the entire rural economy of the Himalayan region.

Grower representatives expressed deep concern over policy signals emerging from ongoing and proposed trade negotiations with countries such as New Zealand, the European Union, the United States and Chile. They cautioned that even limited tariff-rate quotas with reduced import duties could flood the domestic market with cheaper apples, putting Indian growers at a structural disadvantage.

They pointed out that imported apples often benefit from heavy state subsidies, advanced mechanisation and export incentives in their countries of origin, while Indian growers face rising input costs, climatic uncertainties and logistical challenges. Any reduction from the existing 50 percent customs duty, they warned, would tilt the playing field sharply against domestic producers.
A key concern highlighted was the proposal to allow apple imports starting from March, which coincides with the beginning of India’s apple marketing season. The Forum said such a move would severely damage the extensive cold-store infrastructure created across hill states, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, at enormous public and private cost with support from central and state government incentives.

Allowing imports at the very start of the domestic season would depress prices, erode farmer incomes and render cold storage facilities economically unviable, they said. The impact, the delegation cautioned, would extend beyond growers to transporters, packers, commission agents, daily-wage labourers and thousands of orchard-dependent households.

The Forum submitted a set of specific demands to the Union Agriculture Ministry, including an immediate review and reconsideration of any proposal to reduce apple import duties under the FTA framework; a comprehensive socio-economic impact assessment of existing and proposed FTAs on domestic horticulture; stronger safeguard mechanisms to prevent market flooding and protect domestic prices; and structured engagement with farmer groups during trade negotiations.
The delegation also urged the government to revise the reference (assessing) value of imported apples from the existing ₹50 to ₹90 to prevent under-invoicing and unfair competition.

Members of the delegation said the Union Agriculture Minister gave them a patient hearing and assured them that the interests of India’s farmers would not be compromised under any circumstances, adding that the assurance has provided confidence to growers and cold-chain operators that their concerns will be examined seriously at the highest level.

Ganderbal, Dec 31: Police Station Ganderbal, along with the Special Operations Group Ganderbal, on Wednesday claimed to have recovered arms, explosives and a large cash amount during an operation carried out in the Ganderbal district.

According to officials, the recovery included one Chinese pistol, one magazine, four live rounds and two hand grenades. A cash amount of Rs 8.40 lakh was also seized during the operation.

Police sources said that the recovery was made from the possession of two individuals identified as Ghulam Nabi Mir, a resident of Banger Mohalla, Hajin in Bandipora, and Shabnum Nazir, a resident of Shalabugh, Ganderbal.

Sources added that the accused were intercepted while travelling in an auto-rickshaw bearing registration number JK15B-7309 near Gundrehman Bridge in Ganderbal. During the search, arms, explosives and cash were recovered following standard legal procedures.

Police said a case has been registered at Police Station Ganderbal under FIR No. 204/2025 under Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and Sections 7 and 25 of the Indian Arms Act. Further investigation has been taken up to ascertain the source of the recovered arms, explosives and cash, as well as to determine any possible links with militant or criminal networks. [KNT]

Srinagar, Dec 31: The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA), in a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah, sought his intervention over what it termed “alarming” incidents of intimidation, harassment, and targeted violence against Kashmiri students and traditional shawl vendors in various parts of northern India, which have continued to rise unabated over the past year, with Himachal Pradesh emerging as a “matter of particularly grave concern.”

In the letter, the JKSA writes that it has been closely monitoring these incidents and has consistently taken them up with the concerned state administrations. In several states, timely intervention by authorities helped ensure the safety of Kashmiri students and traders and facilitated redressal. However, Himachal Pradesh presents a deeply disturbing picture. Despite repeated representations, assurances, and interventions at multiple levels, incidents continue to recur with worrying regularity, while effective action on the ground has remained largely absent.

Sir, JKSA writes, this year alone has witnessed at least 18 incidents of assault, intimidation, and harassment of Kashmiri shawl sellers in Himachal Pradesh. Yet, despite these repeated attacks, there has been little concrete action, no prompt or effective registration of FIRs in several cases, no visible arrests or deterrent measures, and no sustained effort to ensure the safety and confidence of affected communities. This reflects a complete failure to ensure the safety, dignity, and livelihood of thousands of Kashmiri shawl sellers who earn their living in the state through honest and traditional means. The continued inaction has emboldened miscreants and created an atmosphere of fear, where vulnerable traders are left at the mercy of mobs instead of being protected by the rule of law.

Many Kashmiri students and traders are presently living under constant fear and severe psychological distress. Alarmingly, several have been forced to leave the state, resulting in the disruption of education, loss of livelihood, and erosion of dignity. This is not merely administrative negligence; it reflects a serious lack of political will and moral responsibility to protect Kashmiri citizens, despite repeated assurances of harmony and justice, it writes.

Sir, these incidents carry consequences far beyond Himachal Pradesh. They risk deepening alienation, particularly in the Kashmir Valley, where people closely and anxiously observe how Kashmiri citizens are treated in the rest of the country. Nothing will do more damage to the idea of India in Kashmir than repeated instances where innocent Kashmiris are targeted, threatened, or forced to flee while perpetrators go unpunished. Such developments undermine trust, weaken emotional integration, and harm long-term national interests, the letter reads.

It must be stated clearly and unequivocally that Kashmiris are not outsiders in India. They are equal citizens and an integral part of this country, entitled to the same rights, freedoms, dignity, and constitutional protections as any other Indian. Targeting innocent Kashmiri traders and forcing them out of cities only deepens alienation and mistrust. This is precisely what our hostile neighbour seeks; to sow internal division, fracture social cohesion, and weaken our national fabric. By allowing such harassment to continue unchecked, we risk inadvertently playing into their hands and undermining national unity, it reads.

Sir, acts of violence, intimidation, and communal hatred must not be allowed to become normalised. The rule of law must prevail, without fear or favour. India’s strength lies in its unity in diversity, and any assault on that spirit is an assault on the nation itself, writes JKSA.

Further, the JKSA writes that in view of the seriousness of the matter, we respectfully request your good office to seek a detailed report from the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh regarding all reported incidents over the past year, including the status of FIRs, arrests, prosecutions, and preventive measures taken. We further urge that clear directions be issued for immediate, time-bound action, strict enforcement of the law, fixing of accountability where lapses have occurred, and the implementation of credible security and monitoring mechanisms to protect Kashmiri students and traders across the state.

Your timely and decisive intervention will go a long way in restoring confidence among affected families, preventing further alienation, and reaffirming the Union Government’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the constitutional rights, dignity, and safety of every citizen, the letter concludes.

Srinagar, Dec 31: The Meteorological Department has forecast generally cloudy weather across Jammu and Kashmir with the possibility of rain and snowfall over the next few days, officials said.

According to the MET Centre Srinagar, the Union Territory is likely to witness generally cloudy conditions from the night of December 31 till the morning or forenoon of January 1, with light to moderate rain or snowfall expected at most places.

Officials said a few higher and extreme higher reaches of north and central Kashmir may receive moderate to heavy snowfall during this period.

On January 2, the weather is expected to remain partly to generally cloudy, with the possibility of brief spells of light rain or snowfall at isolated places, the department said.

From January 3 to January 5, the weather is likely to remain partly cloudy, while January 6 may see generally cloudy conditions with the possibility of light snowfall over isolated higher reaches of north and central Kashmir.

The forecast further said that weather conditions are expected to remain partly cloudy from January 7 to January 8, partly to generally cloudy on January 9 and 10, and partly cloudy from January 11 to January 13.

The department has advised travellers and transporters to follow traffic and administrative advisories during the period.

It also warned of moderate fog over the plains of the Jammu division, with dense fog at isolated places during the next 48 hours. (KNS)