Increasing air pollution levels in the Kashmir Valley have become a major cause for concern. The unprecedented spurt in AQI levels is being attributed to rising vehicular emissions and other hazardous sources. To provide an in-depth understanding of the causes of air pollution and possible preventive measures, watch this video interview in which GKTV’s Saqib Malik speaks to Dr Arshad Jehangir, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Science, Kashmir University, to decode the growing menace of air pollution

The post Rising air pollution in Kashmir a growing concern | Causes and Impact appeared first on Greater Kashmir.

“The judiciary was our last resort, but the High Court turned down our PIL, stating that I am a politician. I would like to ask whether we have the right to raise issues about common people or not?,” asked Mehbooba, while addressing a press conference here at PDP headquarters.

Mehbooba said she had written in February to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police seeking details about the number of detainees and undertrials lodged outside Kashmir, but no response was received. She said letters were subsequently sent to the Union Home Minister and the Home Secretary requesting the transfer of undertrials to jails within Kashmir, but the appeals yielded no outcome.

She said, “making her political profile as a basis for turning down the PIL was unfortunate.” She added. “Article 21 of the Constitution gives us a fundamental right that we can deliberate on these issues and even approach the court,”

The PDP President said her party will continue its struggle to “fight for rights of Kashmiris put up in jails outside J&K.” She said in view of the distress caused to families of these jailed persons, her request to CM Omar Abdullah would be to utilise National Conference’s representation in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to make the central government table information about J&K’s undertrials and convicts on the floor of the House.

“I had requested CM Omar to constitute a team, if not of PDP leaders but even its own members, to visit jails outside J&K to get a first-hand account of the condition of Kashmiri inmates. It has been more than a year since MP Aga Ruhulla in the Parliament. I would even request him to take up the issue of prisoners in the Parliament,” said Mehbooba.

The former CM said that while the health conditions of several prominent incarcerated persons is known to everyone, the fate of poor undertrials languishing in jails across India is a mystery. “ By no means should the centre compromise with the security, but not every prisoner falls in this hypersensitive category. Many of these undertrials, who don’t have serious charges, could be lodged in Jammu jails, which would make it feasible for their families to atleast meet them once in a while,” said the PDP President.

Mufti said PDP will take this issue of the prisoners to a “logical conclusion”, while also urging CM Omar Abdullah to “utilise his good offices in Delhi” for getting first-hand information on the undertrials.

“Only a few days back, Omar Sahab said that New Delhi was paying heed to all his requirements. It is high time that the J&K government deputes a team to jails outside J&K to get a sense of the condition of Kashmiri prisoners,” said Mehbooba.

When asked whether PDP would approach the Supreme Court with the PIL regarding return of prisoners to J&K jails, Mehbooba said her party “will discuss this issue internally before taking a decision.”

Commenting on the development, which saw Mirwaiz Umer Farooq drop his Hurriyat Conference affiliation from his X handle, Mehbooba said: “This is a personal decision of the Mirwaiz. But as far as Hurriyat is concerned, all its leadership is in jail. There is a strong need to address the issue of alienation.”

The post My political profile shouldn’t be hurdle to approach courts: Mehbooba appeared first on Greater Kashmir.

As per the Airports Authority of India (AAI) data, of the total scheduled flights, 10 were to be operated by IndiGo and the rest by Air India.

These flights were scheduled from Jammu, Delhi, Chandigarh, Amritsar, and Kolkata. The delayed flights included two flights each of Air India Express and Akasa and three each of SpiceJet and IndiGo, airport data revealed.

Last week, a dry run and preparedness exercise was conducted by the AAI, Srinagar International Airport, on Saturday to assess and ensure operational readiness in view of the forthcoming winter and snow season, with special emphasis on fog and low-visibility contingencies.

A Jammu Airport spokesperson said that two IndiGo flights were cancelled on Saturday. Giving flight details, the spokesperson said that there were 10 flight arrivals and as many departures in the winter capital.

The flights that operated included six of IndiGo, two flights each of Air India Express and SpiceJet.

A total of 1523 passengers arrived while 1433 passengers departed at the Jammu airport on Saturday.

The post 12 flights cancelled, 10 delayed at Srinagar Airport appeared first on Greater Kashmir.

Between December 3 and 12, as many as 103 flights of IndiGo got cancelled, owing to pilots not turning up due to roster issues. In the rest of the country as well, thousands of flights were cancelled, leaving passengers stranded.

On Monday, of the total 18 IndiGo flights scheduled for Srinagar, two were cancelled due to operational reasons. Besides, two flights of the low-cost carrier were cancelled due to poor visibility. In terms of the other airlines, there were 3 flights scheduled for Srinagar that got cancelled due to poor visibility.

As per the Airport data, these include two flights of Air India Express and one flight of Air India. The total number of delayed IndiGo flights due to poor visibility for the day was nine.

The total number of delayed flights for other airlines on Monday was ten, of which two flights were that of Air India, one of Akasa, 3 more delayed flights were operated by Air India Express and three flights by SpiceJet. The cancellation and delay of flights due to fog is being seen despite a recent assurance from the Airports Authority of India ( AAI) that an enhanced landing system had been put in place at the Srinagar Airport to avoid flight cancellations due to fog.

Notably, at the 14th General Meeting & Tourism Promotion Event of Tourist Trade Interest Guild in Srinagar last month, Javed Anjum, Director, Srinagar International Airport, told reporters that the runway at the airport has been upgraded to the Instrument Landing System Category-2 ( ILS-2), which essentially means that even in low visibility, a flight can make a landing. Anjum had said the upgradation of the runway was completed in 2024, the results of which were seen even during last winter, “when flights could land in visibility as low as 400 metres.”

Last Saturday, a dry run and preparedness exercise was conducted by the AAI, Srinagar International Airport, to assess and ensure operational readiness in view of the forthcoming winter and snow season, with special emphasis on fog and low-visibility contingencies.

Notably, amid the IndiGo flight fiasco, Greater Kashmir has learnt from highly-placed sources that Tata Son’s owned Air India had sought the nod from aviation regulator, Director General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA) for operating more than 270 additional flights across the country for the rest of this month. “The airline has approached the DGCA for its approval for these additional flights and was awaiting its response,” sources added. This comes in the wake of the Union Aviation Ministry slashing down IndiGo’s flying slots by 10 per cent for “route balancing.”

Meanwhile, an IndiGo spokesperson in a statement said low visibility (below minima), due to dense fog, has severely impacted operations at Delhi and other airports across northern India, “which is unfortunately beyond our control,” he added. “Our teams are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with Delhi airport, in line with established safety protocols. While operations adjust to the prevailing weather, some flights may experience delays while a few others may be proactively cancelled through the day to prioritise safety and help minimise extended waiting at the airport,” said the spokesperson. “We have issued advisories to our customers and are proactively informing them to minimise inconvenience. We request customers to also stay updated on their flight status via our website or mobile application, as there can be some consequential delays too. Our teams remain available to assist our customers at every step of the journey and ensure continued support,” the IndiGo Spokesperson added.

The post Fog disrupts Srinagar air traffic; 7 flights cancelled, 19 delayed appeared first on Greater Kashmir.

The marginal growth recorded in J&K, is almost in line with the all-India average growth of 2 per cent. Considering the winter season, especially the coldest period of ‘Chilai Kalan’ set to begin in almost one week, growth of 4.92 per cent last month, shows the consistency in buying sentiment as far as automobiles are concerned, said auto experts.

As per Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA), a national-level umbrella body of automobile retail dealerships, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh logged 43.16 per cent growth in automobile sales, while Punjab recorded 57.78 per cent spurt in automobile sales during November, 2025 as compared to the same month last year. Chandigarh recorded 35.80 per cent growth while Uttar Pradesh saw auto sales fall by 5.91 per cent during November.

In terms of category wise sales of vehicles, J&K recorded 36.05 per cent growth in retail sales of passenger vehicles in November. However, sales of commercial vehicles during the same period this year have been abysmal, witnessing a sharp decrease registering minus 7.19 per cent dip as compared to November, 2024. Apart from these commercial vehicles, the drop in sales trajectory has also been noticed in three-wheeler sales which have seen a fall of minus 10.02 per cent in November, 2025.

However, as per FADA data, an increase in sales has been witnessed in retail sales of tractors, which registered a year-on-year growth of 6.96 per cent in J&K. Interestingly, the two-wheeler segment, which had been a front-runner in automobile sales during the last one decade, on the back of the hot-selling segment of gearless scooters, has now gone into the red. The two-wheeler retail data released by FADA suggests a fall in sales in J&K which stood at minus 8.48 per cent.

The post Automobile sales in J&K see moderate growth of 5% in November appeared first on Greater Kashmir.

With this, the total number of flight cancellations for J&K since the flight fiasco began has almost touched 90.

The low-cost carrier has seen thousands of flight cancellations across the country since December 3, owing to teething operational issues, which has also hit Kashmir and Jammu.

Meanwhile, a dry run and preparedness exercise was conducted by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Srinagar International Airport, on Saturday to assess and ensure operational readiness in view of the forthcoming winter and snow season, with special emphasis on fog and low-visibility contingencies.

A Srinagar Airport spokesperson said that the exercise was carried out jointly by AAI, Airline Airport Managers (APMs), CISF, Ground Handling Agencies (GHAs), Medical Inspection Unit, and all other concerned stakeholders.

The objective of the exercise was to evaluate overall preparedness, inter-agency coordination, and functionality of passenger as well as operational facilities during adverse weather conditions.

“The objective of the dry run was to assess preparedness for fog, low-visibility conditions, and winter operations and verify readiness of infrastructure, systems, and manpower during adverse weather. Besides, we wanted to ensure seamless coordination among AAI, airlines, CISF, and other stakeholders,” he said.

Among those who participated in the exercise included representatives of concerned departments of AAI, APMs of all operating airlines, CISF officials deployed at the airport, and representatives of Ground Handling Agencies and other service providers, along with a Medical Officer, Medical Inspection Unit (MIU).

The spokesman said among the terminal building facilities, heating arrangements inside the terminal building were checked for adequacy and proper functioning.

He said passenger waiting areas, lounges, and circulation spaces were inspected to ensure passenger comfort during cold weather.

In terms of fog and low-visibility preparedness, operational protocols for fog and low-visibility conditions were reviewed.

“Coordination mechanisms between ATC, airlines, apron control, and terminal operations were verified. Passenger facilitation arrangements during flight delays, diversions, and cancellations were reviewed,” he said.

The safety and security arrangements, along with airside and landside coordination, were also undertaken.

“The stakeholder coordination is quite important. Roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders during fog and snow conditions were reiterated. Communication channels for real-time information sharing were reviewed. Emphasis was laid on the timely and accurate dissemination of flight information to passengers,” he said.

“The dry run was conducted successfully and provided assurance regarding the preparedness of Srinagar International Airport for the upcoming winter, snow, and fog season. Continuous monitoring and periodic review of arrangements were advised to ensure sustained operational efficiency and passenger comfort during adverse weather conditions,” the spokesperson said.

The post Amid flight cancellations, Srinagar Airport holds low-visibility dry run appeared first on Greater Kashmir.

Talking to Greater Kashmir, Director, Srinagar International Airport, Javed Anjum, said that of the 18 IndiGo flights slotted to operate for the Valley on Tuesday, five got cancelled.

“The rest of the 13 flights operated, albeit with some delays,” he said.  “Things are returning to normal. The commotion at the airport terminal has also reduced to a great extent.”

Director, Jammu Airport, Devender Yadav, said that of the 11 scheduled IndiGo flights in J&K’s winter capital, only two got cancelled while the remaining nine operated.

Sources in the aviation sector said that IndiGo is in the process of slotting fewer flights on several routes, including Srinagar and Jammu.

This will further bring down the flying slots IndiGo had allocated for both Srinagar and Jammu for the winter schedule this year.

Notably, the Greater Kashmir news report on October 26, ‘Airlines reduce winter flights to Srinagar from 50-60 to 39’ had highlighted that in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, all airlines had reduced the number of flights to Srinagar in the winter schedule.

As per the winter schedule, which is prepared by the airlines and issued by the aviation regulator Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), 39 daily flights would operate from various destinations to Srinagar and back.

The winter schedule is effective between October 26, 2025 and March 28, 2026.

“However, the IndiGo fiasco at the onset of winter is likely to affect the aviation sector, which may result in skyrocketing airfares,” an aviation expert said.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by IndiGo from its Delhi headquarters on Tuesday said, “IndiGo can confirm that after days of significant and steady improvement across the network, we have reinstated our operations across our network. This means all flights published on our website are scheduled to operate with an adjusted network. Also, nearly all bags that were stuck at airports have been delivered to our customers, and the teams are working on delivering the remaining at the earliest.”

It said that on Tuesday, IndiGo operated over 1800 flights, connecting all 138 stations in our network, and plans to fly nearly 1900 flights on Wednesday.

“We have optimised our operations, and our on-time performance (OTP) is also back to normal levels. We have also automated the procedure for our customers to get full refunds upon cancellations with ‘No Questions Asked’ through a simple process on our website. We request all our customers to check the latest flight status at https://www.goindigo.in/check-flightstatus.html before heading to the airport. Refund assistance, if any, can be sought at https://www.goindigo.in/refund.html or through our customer support channels. We regret this disruption and apologise sincerely to all our customers for the inconvenience caused to them,” the statement said.

The post 7 IndiGO flights across Srinagar, Jammu cancelled appeared first on Greater Kashmir.

A Srinagar Airport spokesperson said the total number of scheduled flights of all airlines for Srinagar on Monday are 32, out of which 8 flights were that of IndiGo, which were cancelled due to the operational disruption being faced by the airline.

Notably, thousands of IndiGo flights across the country have been cancelled during the last one week, owing to pilots not turning up due to issues in the roster system. Today is the third day of air traffic being hit at the Srinagar Airport, while flight disruptions across the country have been witnessed for the last one week.

Aggrieved passengers said their travel plans have been badly hit. “I had booked a connecting IndiGo flight from Srinagar to Bengaluru today but I received a message from the airline on Sunday night saying the flight has been cancelled. I was offered rescheduling but would now prefer to travel once this fiasco is over,” said Abdul Aziz, a flyer.

The cancellation of IndiGo flights has led to skyrocketing airfares, with a one-way Srinagar-Delhi flight costing as much as Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000. Meanwhile, the Jammu Airport that saw 8 IndiGo flights operate on Sunday out of the scheduled 11 flights saw 1694 passenger arrival footfall and 1672 passenger departures, said an airport spokesman on its X handle.

The post All 8 IndiGo flights scheduled at Srinagar Airport for today cancelled appeared first on Greater Kashmir.

Parked IndiGo jets have choked bay spaces, bogging down departures, baggage flow, and on-time operations for fully functional carriers.

The unabated operational disruptions faced by IndiGo have taken a major hit at other airlines, with most of them witnessing a delay in flight arrivals and take-offs.

Talking to Greater Kashmir on condition of anonymity, a SpiceJet executive from Delhi said the grounded IndiGo aircraft on the bay area, the stretch on the tarmac where aircrafts are placed prior to being put into operations, are proving to be a hurdle for the smooth operations of other airlines.

“There are scores of the IndiGo flights that are parked in the bay area but are unable to be operated due to pilots not turning up. This has congested these spaces and surrounding areas, which affects flights of the fully operational airlines,” the executive said.

A Holding Bay is a designated area at an airport where aircraft can be held or parked temporarily before takeoff or after landing.

The IndiGo executive said, considering the fact that operational IndiGo flights have been facing a minimum delay of 4 to 5 hours, the baggage handling is also becoming a taxing task at the various airports.

“The baggage which is kept lying in the departure and arrival terminals of the delayed IndiGo flights is not just occupying space but wasting the time and energy of the ground staff and airport officials. We are hoping that this fiasco comes to an end soon,” he said.

The post Crisis cascades into delays for IndiGo’s rival carriers appeared first on Greater Kashmir.

The second day of mass cancellations battered air travel in Jammu and Kashmir, leaving thousands of passengers stranded, terminals congested, fares skyrocketing, and the government demanding answers.

On Saturday, the embattled airline IndiGo said that its single-day flight cancellations across India had fallen below the 850 mark, a considerable decline compared to the mass flight cancellations witnessed on Friday.

However, operational disruptions of country’s largest airline, like rest of the cities, continued to badly impact air travel to J&K as well.

Talking to Greater Kashmir, Director, Srinagar International Airport, Javed Anjum said that of the 14 scheduled IndiGo flights to Srinagar, half of its air traffic was hit on Saturday.

“For the second day of major cancellations, seven flights of IndiGo did not operate, but nine of its other flights landed here. There has been a lot of uncertainty among flyers. We are trying our best to keep passengers well-informed and ensure smooth handling at the airport,” Anjum said.

Of the total 32 flights to Srinagar, 18 IndiGo flights from various destinations were scheduled.

However, early in the morning, a Srinagar Airport spokesman in a statement said that all scheduled IndiGo flights to the summer capital were cancelled.

Besides IndiGo, one flight of another private airline was also cancelled on Saturday at the Srinagar Airport.

Meanwhile, chaotic scenes were witnessed at the airport, which also led to mob anger.

Both tourists and locals were seen at the receiving end of flight disruptions.

Delhi resident Arjun Singh, who makes music videos and had completed the shooting schedule in Kashmir on Friday, was left in a lurch as the flight on which he and his two colleagues were scheduled to travel got cancelled.

“We were here for a film shoot, and after finishing it, we checked out of the hotel this morning. The flight cancellation is quite a dampener. When we are checking airfares for other flights now, it is showing a Srinagar to Delhi flight costing on other airlines above Rs 15,000,” Singh said.

The fiasco caused by the IndiGo flight cancellations reached a point where even Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed deep concern over the travel chaos caused by the ongoing airline issues.

The office of Chief Minister on its X handle said that back-to-back cancellations were a matter of concern.

The situation at Jammu airport was considerably better on Saturday, as only three flights of IndiGo were cancelled, while seven flights of the same airline operated.

However, the backlog of passengers resulted in massive congestion at both Srinagar and Jammu airports.

Director, Jammu Airport, Devender Yadav, said that the flight schedule which the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had received from IndiGo for Sunday (December 7) mentions that 11 flights of this airline to Jammu have been slotted.

However, Yadav said the actual situation will be clear only on Sunday morning.

“As per the IndiGo schedule we have received, there are 11 flights scheduled, but we can give a final picture only on Sunday morning,” Yadav said.

Meanwhile, the corporate office of IndiGo in New Delhi issued a statement saying it was working determinedly to bring its operations back on track across the network.

“Our teams are focused on stabilising schedules, reducing delays, and supporting customers through this period. Today, the number of cancellations has dropped below 850 flights, much lower compared to yesterday. We are continuing to work towards reducing this number progressively over the next few days,” IndiGo said in the statement. “We are addressing all customer refunds on priority. We are also working closely with all airports and partners to ensure timely updates are provided to customers at terminals, on our website, and via direct notifications. We strongly urge our customers to check the latest flight status before proceeding to the airport, as we are diligently working to add more resilience to our processes. For refund assistance, please visit https://www.goindigo.in/refund.html or contact our customer support.”

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