As the tenure of the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) is coming to an end and the elections for the municipal and ULBs are likely to be held by the end of this year or early next year, 358 municipal wards out of a total of 1,119 municipal wards in J&K have been reserved for women. It is a move aimed at promoting gender representation in local governance. The J&K’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has also proposed the reservation of wards for SC and ST. It has proposed a reservation on 86 wards for SCs and 14 wards for STs. This allocation is based on population data. In Srinagar and Jammu civic bodies, the highest number of 25 wards are reserved for women.
JK’s businessman purchases land on Moon
Rupesh Masson, a 49-year-old businessman and educationist from Jammu, has purchased one acre of land on the “Lake of Happiness” tract on the moon after Chandrayaan-3’s successful landing on the moon. Rupesh, who is the regional director of UCMAS for J&K and Leh, said he bought land at “Luna Earths Moon”, Tract 55-Parcel 10,772 known as Lacus Felicitatis or Lake of Happiness. He brought the land from The Lunar Registry at New York City and it was certified on August 25. According to The Lunar Registry website, the current rate of the plot is Rs 2,405 per acre ($29.07/acre).
Govt buildings to get facelift, DC orders
The Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar Bidhuri has directed a facelift of government buildings along the major roads in the Valley. This facelift of government buildings is being done to add more to the beautification of the city and other major towns of the Valley. The officials have been instructed to go for a facelift of the government buildings by painting the exterior walls, boundary walls & roofs to enhance the aesthetic of these establishments. The officials hope that small interventions can bring huge change.