Wide Ball

In absence of internet and mobile telephony in Kashmir, landlines remain the only mode of connectivity in the valley.

Akin to 90s, dozens of STD booths have come up in Srinagar and elsewhere.

People make beelines at these booths to speak to their loved ones, especially ones outside the valley.

The rush is largely seen during afternoon and evenings.

Thousands of people have paid the pending bills to reactivate their old landline phone numbers

In the first phase of polling in Jammu and Kashmir, 72.16 per cent of polling took place for the Jammu parliamentary constituency while over 35 per cent polling was witnessed for the Baramulla parliamentary constituency. The impact of their boycott call was still felt in their bastions in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district including Palhallan, Sopore and Baramulla towns, where majority of the people didn’t turn to polling booths.In Bandipora queues of voters were seen waiting to cast their votes outside the polling booths.

The highest number of violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has been reported from Jammu and Kashmir since the code came into effect last month in view of the Lok Sabha elections.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) implemented MCC on March 11, when dates for the elections were announced. Till now 112 cases of violation of the Code across India have come before the commission.

In J&K, which recorded the highest number of such cases, the violations majorly included government employees participating in election rallies, transfers in administration, and cash-for-votes, wherein people were paid to cast their votes in favour of a particular candidate.Most of these violations have been reported from Jammu where ECI noted 19 cases while the rest were reported from Kashmir.

Asia’s largest tulip garden was thrown open to the public, marking the beginning of new tourism season in Kashmir. The garden witnessed an impressive footfall of locals and tourists on the first day of its opening this year. Formerly known as Siraj Bagh, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden was opened in 2008 by then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. The idea of the garden, spread over 30 hectares in the foothills of snow-clad Zabarwan range, was conceived to advance the tourism season in the valley by two months. The average life span of tulip flower is three to four weeks, but heavy rains or too much of heat can destroy them. This year the department has planted nearly 12 lakh bulbs of different varieties.

Three youth in Srinagar find their way while making music. The trio so far has managed to set up their studio in a unique and frugal way. They create unique music by using traditional and modern instruments. So watch it and know them more..

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to check predatory pricing by airlines here during the winter season. Commending Governor for raising the issue of high air ticket prices on Srinagar route mainly during closure of roads, a Kashmir industry group has demanded more strict steps to curb exploitation of helpless travelers.

Here is what general public has to say…

Power Development Department (PDD) is going to install prepaid, smart electricity meters in the state in a bid to cut transmission and distribution losses. Prepaid meters would have to be recharged just like a prepaid mobile phone number.

We asked the public whether these meters should be installed in Kashmir or not…Here is what they have to say

The Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) has appealed parents, teachers, and civil society in Kashmir to restrain kids from playing ‘Player’s Unknown Battle Ground (PUBG)’, a highly addictive smartphone game.

PUBG is an online multiplayer battle game in which players can develop virtual teams fighting an armed battle in a simulated environment. It is developed and published by PUBG Corporation, a subsidiary of South Korean video game company Bluehole.

We asked people whether this game should be banned or not…

Its Director explains how his dept functions.

The Dept is equipped with Doppler radar and satellite meteorology which helps it in accurate weather data analysis.

MeT is planning to install radar at 3 more places in J&K for an even more accurate forecast.

2018 proved to be the deadliest year, as 144 civilians and 250 militants were killed in numerous encounters and clashes. Besides, that 19-month-old Hiba Nisar became the youngest pellet victim in Kashmir.

At the beginning of the year, Kathua minor’s rape and murder shocked the whole humanity. In June, Shujaat Bukhari’s assassination shocked media fraternity.

Political activities were abuzz after the collapse of PDP-BJP Alliance. Many PDP legislators changed sides and joined Sajad Lone’s People’s Conference. Here is the wrap of 2018