Srinagar Diary: Jammu and Kashmir gears up to prevent locust attack

The Agriculture department has constituted district-level committees in Kashmir to tackle any possible attack by the desert locust wreaking havoc with crops in some states.
A swarm of locusts. (File Photo | AP)
A swarm of locusts. (File Photo | AP)

 No devotees in Kheer Bhawani mela

The annual Kheer Bhawani yatra and mela in Kashmir on Saturday saw no devotees. The annual fair, which is one of important festivals of Kashmiri Pandits, is celebrated at the Ragnya Devi temple in Tulmulla area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.

However, due to the lockdown, the J&K Dharmath Trust, which manages the yatra, had advised devotees this year not to visit shrine in view of the ongoing pandemic.

Every year thousands of Kashmiri Pandits visit the temple to celebrate the annual festival.  All the temples in Jammu and Kashmir have remained closed since lockdown was enforced by authorities in March.

Development work resumes in Srinagar 

The administration in Srinagar has permitted resumption of developmental works from June 1. Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Shahid Iqbal Choudhary has directed all departments and agencies to restart execution on all infrastructure-based developmental works  for 264 activities which include various important and major developmental projects.

These include 64 works of R&B, 50 of SMC Drainage, 49 of RDD, 28 of KPDCL, 16 of PHE and 11 of LAWDA which make the most of these works.

The projects, which involve and are under execution at an estimated cost of over `1,300 crore, include a host of crucial infrastructural projects in various sectors ranging from health to roads and bridges to drainage to power and water to lake and environment conservation and beautification.

State gears up to prevent locust attack

The Jammu and Kashmir government is gearing up to prevent locust attacks on the crops in the Union Territory.

The Agriculture department has constituted district-level committees in Kashmir to tackle any possible attack by the desert locust wreaking havoc with crops in some states.

The teams have been asked to be vigilant and ready to spray chemicals to prevent the locust from damaging crops.

The government has asked twin agriculture universities of UT – SKUAST Kashmir and Jammu— to constitute team of scientists to analyze pattern and ways to fight this threat and come up with a detailed plan to tackle locust threat, which has destroyed crops in nine states so far.

Women SHGs produce over 9 lakh face masks

Amid growing concern over dearth of face-masks to stop spread of coronavirus pandemic, the all-women self-help groups (SHGs) in Jammu and Kashmir have risen to the extraordinary challenge by manufacturing over 9 lakh face masks.

Officials said about 2,000 women from several SHGs across the J&K have joined the fight against the Covid-19 and successfully manufactured more than 9.73 lakh face masks.

In Kashmir division, the women-led SHGs have manufactured 5.63 lakh face masks and in Jammu Division, over 4 lakh face masks have been manufactured. Prior to outbreak of pandemic, the SHGs were stitching shirts, bags and uniforms. 

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