The Decoder

09/09/2025

Sainik Colony residents constitute new body
Jammu, Sept 9:
A meeting of Sainik Colony Civilian Residents’ Rights Association was held at Ram Mandir complex in Sector D the other day. A good number of people participated among whom were some past office-bearers of the Sainik Colony Cooperative Housing Society. Prominent among them were Thakur Jai Singh, ex chairman of the society, Choudhary Sukhdev Singh, ex joint chairman, Prakash Singh Jamwal, ex director and Rajeshwar Singh Jasrotia, IFS, retired Chief Conservator of Forests.
At the meeting, former Superintending Engineer Keshav Singh Jamwal was unanimously elected the Convenor of the Association and Vijay Jamwal as Chief Organiser. President Dharmarth Trust Professor P S Pathania, former Executive Engineer Nazir Choudhary, Senior Vice President of Chamber of Commerce Sham Lal Langar and Kulbir Singh Sambyal, president of Ram Mandir, were chosen as Advisors. It needs to be mentioned here that Convenor Keshav Singh Jamwal is one of the earliest settlers who made Sainik Colony his abode in 1983. His late father was the founding chairman of the SCHBS who worked for its establishment at inception.
The association has been formed to fight for equal rights to all civilians which the present Management Committee headed by Colonel Shiv Ram Choudhary (retired) has been violating with impunity. This committee had failed miserably to conduct a General Body Meeting (GBM) on July 5 as it could assemble barely 150 members whereas the requisite quorum was over 450. At this meeting, the Management Committee wanted to bring some new bylaws but these could not be passed.
Among the new bylaws which the Management Committee wanted to bring was disempowering civilians forcing them to henceforth sell their plots only to people of armed forces or ex servicemen. The SCHBS was founded in 1970 but through an amendment in 1983, civilians were allowed to buy plots. This resulted into a situation whereby over the last 42 years, 90 per cent of residents in the colony today are civilians today. These civilians include legal heirs of the original allottees also who cannot fight elections.
In an arbitrary and illegal manner, the Management Committee has stopped sale/purchase of plots by civilians. This has created a peculiar situation whereby the value of properties have fallen steeply, resulting into huge financial losses. Besides, all sale or purchase of any properties in the Sainik Colony have been halted by the Management Committee for the past several months.

03/09/2025

Tawi River: Lifeline of Jammu or Victim of Politics and Encroachment?
An Article by Maloop Singh
The Tawi River, originating from the Kailash Kund springs in the upper hills of Saoj Dhar, Ramnagar of District Udhampur, is not just a water body, but it is the very soul of Jammu. Flowing gracefully through the City of Temples, the river has nourished generations of Dogras, serving as their main source of water and livelihood. For the people of Jammu, the Tawi is revered as Suryaputri, with rituals and prayers offered at its banks during festivals and significant occasions. As a citizen of Jammu, I believe this river is not merely a resource, but a living inheritance that binds communities and memory. But beneath this sacred bond lies a troubling reality, decades of political manoeuvring, land grabbing, and ill-conceived development projects have endangered both the river and the communities around it.

Encroachments and Political Interests: After the 1990s, the Tawi began to face systematic encroachment. With the collusion of political leaders and administrative officials, large sections of its catchment area were illegally occupied. From my perspective as a citizen, it seems to me that regulatory institutions looked away just when the river most needed protection. Commercial structures sprang up on the land that once belonged to the river, narrowing its natural course. Instead of protecting the river, authorities in many cases facilitated diversions of its flow for private interests. One of the most striking examples is the diversion of Tawi’s natural flow near Bhagwati Nagar. The river splits into two channels, Nikki Tawi and Badi Tawi. Instead of preserving this natural hydrology, interventions redirected more of the flow toward Nikki Tawi, disturbing the balance. In my view as a resident, this engineered imbalance has turned seasonal rises into avoidable danger. This has had disastrous consequences, whenever water levels rise, the Tawi bridge at Belicharana suffers repeated damage, since that side was originally the main course of the river. The artificial diversion has made downstream areas like GGM Science College, Rajinder Nagar, Peer Kho and adjoining colonies vulnerable to flood like situations during monsoons. If this isn’t stopped, areas like Jammu University, Vikram Chowk, Gandhi Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Airport, Jewel, Talab Tillo, and many adjoining areas will be in grave danger in the near future.

Development Projects and Their Hidden Costs: The Tawi Lake Project, once hailed as a developmental milestone for Jammu, also carries unintended consequences. The construction of numerous pillars in the riverbed has obstructed water flow. Each pillar occupies around four feet of space; with 20 or more in place, the river loses nearly a hundred feet of free passage. Personally, I think any project that reduces a river’s flood cushion without rigorous, public hydrological scrutiny risks turning benefit into a hazard. This obstruction slows down floodwater, causing it to back up and inundate nearby urban areas. What was envisioned as a tourism boost has, ironically, created a man-made flood hazard.

Cultural Reverence vs Administrative Neglect: The contradiction could not be starker. On one hand, people of Jammu continue to worship the Tawi as Suryaputri, an eternal symbol of purity and sustenance. On the other, the river is being strangled by negligence, greed, and shortsighted planning. As a concerned citizen, I am convinced that true reverence for a sacred river must show up in policy, enforcement, and day-to-day governance—not only in rituals. What was once the pride of Jammu is now being reduced to a cautionary tale of how political motives and unregulated urbanization can endanger both heritage and habitat. Saving the Tawi requires more than rhetoric. It demands strict action against encroachments along the riverbanks. Speaking as a citizen, I believe scientific planning must guide every intervention, prioritizing ecology over political mileage and short-term optics. Restoration of natural river flows, instead of artificial diversions, and public awareness and community involvement, reinforcing the cultural and spiritual value of the river, are non-negotiable. The Tawi has given life to Jammu for centuries. If unchecked political interference and reckless urban expansion continue, the city risks losing not just its river, but also a vital part of its identity. As I see it, Jammu must decide: Will it honour Tawi as the eternal lifeline, or allow vested interests to turn her into a symbol of neglect and devastation?

27/08/2025

17/08/2025

Cloudburst, Landslide In Jammu And Kashmir’s Kathua Leaves Seven Dead

14/08/2025

A massive cloudburst in Chashoti in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district occurred on Thursday afternoon, resulting in flash floods. Chashoti is the starting point of the Machail Mata Yatra to the Himalayan shrine of Mata Chandi in Kishtwar.

26/07/2025

*Baramulla Claims U/14 Provincial Tourney in Kabadi*

*Such tournaments are the foundation of nurturing future champions: DG YSS*

Pulwama, July 26: The Inter-District Provincial-Level Kabaddi Tournament, organized by the Department of Youth Services and Sports (YSS) J&K and hosted by the District Youth Services & Sports Office Pulwama, concluded on Saturday in a spectacular finale at Mehjoor Memorial Boys’ Higher Secondary School, here.
In a high-energy clash, Team Baramulla displayed exceptional skill and teamwork to defeat Anantnag in the finals, securing the championship title in the U/14 category. The tournament, featuring talented young athletes from across the Kashmir division, was a celebration of sportsmanship and emerging talent in kabaddi.
The Director General of the Department of Youth Services and Sports, J&K, praised the initiative, stating, “Such tournaments are the foundation of nurturing future champions. By providing a competitive platform at the grassroots level, we not only identify raw talent but also instill discipline, teamwork, and a winning spirit in our youth. The YSS remains committed to fostering sports excellence across Jammu & Kashmir."
The event was inaugurated by the Additional Commissioner Revenue (ACR) Pulwama, who emphasized the importance of sports in youth development and community engagement. Throughout the tournament, Baramulla maintained a dominant streak, while Anantnag and Bandipora secured the second and third positions, respectively.
The closing ceremony saw the winners being felicitated by the District Youth Services & Sports Officer (DYSSO) Pulwama and the Principal of Boys’ Higher Secondary School Pulwama.

Issued by:
Media & Publicity Coordinator, Department of YSS, J&K.

26/07/2025

Sunil Sharma Visited villages near Machail Mata on my return journey on foot, listened to the grievances of locals & directed concerned departments to expedite redressal. Committed to serving the people & addressing their concerns.

26/07/2025

| Newly appointed Ladakh L-G says, "The President, the PM, the HM trusted me to send here. Since we know that Ladakh was made an UT in 2019, it was to end the discrimination, now to take care of it, we have made Hill Councils, many other organisations. New districts were made, many work is happening. But since it is a unique area, there are many scopes and potentials. We are trying to create jobs here. We are also trying to have film shootings here."

19/07/2025

LG Sh Manoj Sinha launched a monograph 'Indus Water Treaty – Mirroring the Facts' authored by Sh Sant Kumar Sharma at Jammu today.
He said this thoughtful and timely monograph offers interesting insights on IWT with Pakistan and Hon'ble PM Sh Narendra Modi ji's decisive move to terminate the treaty. India has made it clear that blood and water cannot flow together, terror and talk cannot go together, and terror and trade cannot happen together.
He stated that termination of IWT is a befitting response to Pakistan and it will have far-reaching consequences since it's dependent on the Indus river system

19/07/2025

*Innovation Hub for Health, Fitness and Sports established in the DYSS*

Srinagar, July 19: The Directorate of Youth Services and Sports (YSS) has established an Innovation Hub for Health, Fitness and Sports to realize the J&K Sports Policy vision, announced Director General Anuradha Gupta during a strategic meeting with the officers and field officials of the Department in her office chamber at Wazirbagh here.
The hub will design strategies to implement the mission 'Sports for All Fitness for All' as envisioned in the J&K Sports Policy. This will include creation of Health, Fitnesss and Sports clubs in schools for encoyraging young children to adopt healthy life style habits. It will also devise strategies to encourage daily fitness activities among all age groups, adventure sports promotion and equal opportunities for all genders. A pioneering Physical Fitness Progress Card (PFPC) will monitor student health alongside academics.
Key decisions include launch of 'Plants for Nutrition' campaign in schools on pilot basis where nutritional plants shall be cultivated and adopted by students to help them learn about nutrition and healthy meals.
Revision of activity calendar, framing of non Sports activity calendar, creation of pool of outstanding sportspersons, Sports library etc were among other vital decisions which shall be part of road map being charted by DYSS for holistic youth development through Sports and allied activities.

"From classroom clubs to playing fields, we're building a fitter J&K," said the DG, stressing urgent implementation.

Issued by:
Media & Publicity Coordinator
Department of YSS, J&K

29/06/2025

*NCEEA-2025 Concludes with Roadmap for Sustainable Farming Innovations*
Ramban June 29: The three day National Congress on Entomology and Emerging Agrotechnologies (NCEEA-2025) in which 115 participants from all over the country took part, concluded on Sunday at the scenic alpine meadows of Sanasar, here with a strong set of recommendations to transform Indian agriculture through sustainable practices for Viksit Bharat. Held from June 27–29, the conference brought together experts to discuss eco-friendly pest management, climate-resilient farming, and region-specific agrotechnologies. Organized by the Entomological Science Academy in collaboration with SKUAST Jammu and IIT Jammu, the event emphasized aligning agricultural education, research, and extension with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to foster innovation and employability.
In a special virtual address, Poonam Jasrotia, ADG (Plant Protection & Biosafety), ICAR, New Delhi, highlighted the need for region-specific technologies to enhance hill agriculture, particularly for indigenous crops such as Anardana, Kasrod, Kaladi, potatoes, and minor fruits. She stressed the importance of advanced pest surveillance, precision farming, and value-added processing to boost productivity.
The conference outlined several key recommendations, including the promotion of biological control using local bioagents and the mainstreaming of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). It advocated integration of entomology with cutting age technologies like AI, genomes and biotechnology. Participants called for stronger biotech research to develop stress-tolerant crops, the integration of renewable energy with Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), and improved agrotech support for Ramban’s unique crops. Emphasis was also placed on developing robust post-harvest value chains, researching emerging threats like invasive species, and fostering agro-ecosystem conservation. Collaborative platforms linking farmers, scientists, and industries were proposed to nurture future-ready agro-entrepreneurs.
Rakesh Kumar Gupta, President of the Entomological Science Academy, reaffirmed the society’s allegiance to sustainable and technology driven agricultural growth in J&K and beyond. The academy expressed gratitude to SKUAST Jammu’s Vice Chancellor and university officials for their support in organizing the event. Special gratitude and appreciation was extended to Deputy Commissioner Ramban, Mohd. Alyas Khan for his gracious presence and also for the support district administration Ramban, under his leadership, provided.The organisers also appreciated PY Resorts, Sanasar, for logistic support and outstanding arrangements.