Srinagar, July 10
Markets in the Valley were buzzing with activity ahead of the month of Ramadan which starts tomorrow. The markets were crowded with people shopping for special food items, holy books, prayer mats and house furnishing tools.

The supermarkets, retail outlets, butchers and vegetable and fruit vendors did brisk business as people banked on some last-minute Ramadan shopping.

For a majority of the Valley residents, the month of Ramadan means keeping mostly to homes, praying a lot and frequenting mosques. Hence, essential commodities are bought in advance. Restaurants, cafeterias and other food joints were packed with people today. They were gorging on some afternoon meal and snacks a day before the month of fasting.

“The next 30 days are a spiritual test for one and all. One has to abstain from eating and drinking for 16 hours to gain patience. I therefore took my family for a brief outing today to indulge in some afternoon meals which would not be possible from tomorrow onwards,” Maroof Ahmad, a bank employee, said. People also stocked up food commodities like rice, cereals, pastas , sweets and canned foods for Ramadan.

Since the temperatures have been keeping cool, people preferred going out today so that the month of Ramadan is spent on praying and other routine work.

“If the weather turns warmer, fasting would be tough. As such, it is not feasible to go for shopping. Hence, shopping is preferred beforehand,” Saima Shafi, a housewife, said.

Many shopkeepers and wholesale retailers are offering Ramadan package too with food items, utensils and furnishing items at discounted rates.

“The discounts are available every year for the month of Ramadan. We are doing good business right now and hope it remains so for the blessed month too,” Ghulam Muhammad Beigh, a retail outlet owner, said.

Srinagar, July 10
Amid a sweltering summer, Kashmiri Muslims will begin the longest Ramadan in the last three decades during the hottest period of the year. The pre-dawn meal, or sehri, of the first day will end at 3.46 am, which will be the beginning of a 16-hour-long fast.

The fasting month of Ramadan began on Thursday, as the new moon was not sighted on Tuesday evening, which would have marked the beginning of the new month. The Islamic calender is based on the cycles of lunar phase.

Muslims will be abstaining from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk for nearly 16 hours each day of the Islamic month of Ramadan this year.

On the first day of Ramadan, the fast will begin after a pre-dawn meal at 3.46 am and end moments before the call for evening prayers at 7.48 pm, making it the longest fasting day in the last three decades.

The last time when Ramadan began in mid-July was in 1980. Dawn-to-dusk fasting in the month of Ramadan is one of the five fundamentals of Islam.

Though there has been a slight respite from scorching heat since Tuesday, the fasting this year will be a daunting experience as the month of Ramadan falls in the middle of summer season. The state weather department has forecast light rain at a few places in the region in the next 24 hours and decrease in precipitation in the two subsequent days.

Muslims are encouraged to engage in extensive prayers and recitation of Quran during the fasting month and mosques remain packed with worshippers across the region.

Srinagar, July 10
While incessant rain in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir brought some respite from heat, life was by and large disrupted.

According to the Met department reports, rains continued to lash major parts of the Valley, with Kokernag and Pahalgam receiving the highest rainfall.

The temperature took a dip in the wake of the continuous rainfall, with the minimum temperature in Srinagar dropping to 17 Degree Celsius.

“The temperature is expected to rise in the coming days,” said an official at the Met department in Srinagar.

Meanwhile, streets were waterlogged and the movement of people restricted.

“Streets remained waterlogged in many parts of the Valley, including Anantnag town and some parts of Srinagar, restricting movement of the general public,” reports said. Rural areas were the worst affected.

According to reports, incessant rainfall played spoilsport for local picnic-goers and tourists.

“The pilgrims on Amarnath Yatra too were halted at certain places on both the Yatra routes of Pahalgam and Baltal in the wake of the rains,” said reports.

The Met department has predicted light rains with thundershowers over the next 24 hours in some parts of the state.

Srinagar, July 10
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed the authorities concerned to take necessary steps for removing illegal structures and constructions which have been raised along the banks of river Sindh in Ganderbal district.

Directing Chief Engineer of the Irrigation and Flood Control, who is in charge of the areas along the banks of the river, to remove the illegal structures, the High Court has also asked him to file a status report in this regard within six weeks.

These directions were issued by a division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice MM Kumar and Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur in a PIL by Qazi Rashid Shams seeking removal of illegal structures and constructions along the banks of river Sindh in Ganderbal district.

The Sindh originates from Gumri Glacier ahead of Baltal, Sonamarg, in north-east Kashmir. Before merging with the Jhelum in Ganderbal, several fresh water streams join it downstream, including the Amarnath nullah, Sonamarg nullah and Shutkuri nullah, giving it the shape of a big river.

"The Chief Engineer (I&FC) was directed to take necessary steps for removal of constructions and encroachments as pointed out by the commission appointed by the court in its report. He shall file a status report within six weeks," the High Court observed in its orders today.

The report of the court-appointed panel was submitted to the High Court on May 4, in 2012, in which many illegal constructions and structures had been pointed out, which have come up along the banks of the river Sindh in recent times. Many such structures, including hotels, are reportedly owned by influential people.

In June 2011, the High Court had directed the authorities to remove all illegal encroachments and structures along the Sindh that had come up in violation of the Kashmir Valley Embankment Act 1992.

Srinagar, July 10
Two persons were killed and ten others were injured in different road accidents across the Kashmir valley, the police said today.

A motorcycle skid off the road at Kanipora in south Kashmir's Kulgam district resulting in on-the-spot death of the motorcyclist, identified as Pintoo Verma, and the pillion-rider Babloo.

Both the deceased were residents of Pratabgarh in Uttar Pradesh who were working as labourers at a tile factory at Shurat in Kulgam, the police spokesman said. The bodies of the deceased were handed over to their associates for further disposal. Ten people were injured in five separate road accidents in Baramulla, Budgam and Kulgam districts, the spokesman said.

Srinagar, July 10
As many as 494 recruits from various parts of the state were inducted into the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) of the Army.

The recruits were inducted at a passing-out parade which was held at the Regimental Centre on the outskirts of Srinagar. The recruits completed 49 weeks of arduous training in various activities.

“This is a new beginning, a new chapter in my life,” Mohammad Shafi Khan, a rifleman said, who was attired in crisp olive green uniform with an upright red turban.

The young soldier proved his mettle by winning the Maqbool Sherwani Medal for best recruit in the physical training.

Rifleman Anil Kumar, the parade commander, received Bana Singh medal for being the best recruit in drill. The ceremony was presided over by Lt Gen Gurmit Singh, Chinar Corps, Commander, and was attended by over 2,000 parents, relatives of young soldiers along with a number of civil and military dignitaries.

“The young daunting soldiers hailing from all regions and religions of the state, took oath in unison to serve the supreme cause of the nation,” an Army spokesman said.

The GOC congratulated the young soldiers for the immaculate parade.

“I urge you to devote your life in the service of the nation,” Singh said.