Jammu Daily — 17 September 2026

Security reconfigurations, digital governance measures, anti-narcotics coordination, and geological hazard alerts converge in a busy week for Jammu and Kashmir.

🗳️ VPN Use Banned for Two Months in J-K's Doda District

District Magistrate of Doda, Krishan Lal, imposed a two-month ban on VPN usage in the district, citing misuse by certain individuals and groups seeking to circumvent lawful cyber restrictions and access prohibited applications, websites, and digital content. The order was issued under provisions allowing for public safety measures in the Union Territory. Officials asserted that unlawful elements were exploiting VPN services to evade internet restrictions imposed to maintain public order, communicating via banned platforms and accessing proscribed material. Residents and businesses are required to comply immediately, with non-compliance attracting legal action under applicable statutes. The measure has drawn criticism from civil society and digital rights advocates who argue that VPN tools serve legitimate purposes including secure remote work, journalistic research, and privacy protection. Critics question whether a blanket ban is proportionate, suggesting that targeted action against specific actors would be a less restrictive means of addressing security concerns. The Doda ban follows a pattern of selective digital governance measures applied in strategically sensitive districts of Jammu and Kashmir, raising ongoing questions about the balance between security imperatives and civil liberties in the Union Territory. [3]

🤝 J&K and Ladakh Hold 2nd UT-Level Narcotics Control JCC Meeting in Srinagar

Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh jointly convened their second Union Territory-level Joint Co-ordination Committee meeting on narcotics control in Srinagar, bringing together senior officers from police, customs, the Narcotics Control Bureau, and allied enforcement agencies. The session reviewed the status of ongoing drug interdiction operations, shared cross-agency intelligence, and assessed the effectiveness of supply-chain disruption efforts along identified trafficking corridors. Officials paid particular attention to twin supply routes funnelling heroin into the Jammu region, following a recent seizure of 6.9 kilograms of the substance that exposed new trafficking pathways. Participants agreed on strengthened inter-agency monitoring at identified hotspot areas and border-proximate entry points. The meeting also examined rehabilitation and awareness programme outreach, emphasising that enforcement alone is insufficient without parallel community-level interventions. Officials committed to more frequent data sharing between J&K and Ladakh to plug intelligence gaps. The committee noted progress since the first JCC meeting and charted a roadmap for intensified enforcement activities ahead of the onset of winter, when border terrain becomes more difficult to monitor. Local civil society representatives had earlier urged authorities to pair enforcement with expanded de-addiction infrastructure in rural areas of both UTs. [7]

🗳️ CRPF to Replace Army Troops Across 21 Locations in Jammu Region

The Central Reserve Police Force is set to assume security responsibilities at 21 locations across the Jammu region currently held by Indian Army troops, as part of a reviewed deployment rebalancing plan coordinated between the civil administration and defence establishments. The phased transition is intended to allow army units to concentrate on counter-insurgency operations in the Kashmir Valley and along the Line of Control, while CRPF formations—already well-established in Jammu city and adjoining areas—extend coverage to semi-rural and border-proximate positions. Officials indicated that the reallocation is consistent with the broader stabilisation effort in parts of the Jammu region where the security environment has improved relative to earlier years. Local elected representatives welcomed the announcement but called for a clear public communication strategy during the handover period to reassure communities about continuity of protection. Security analysts noted that the transition underscores a gradual normalisation approach being pursued by the administration in selected zones while maintaining heightened vigilance in areas identified as sensitive. CRPF commanders have been tasked with completing familiarisation exercises at the incoming locations before units formally take charge, with a timeline expected to be completed in the coming months. Community leaders urged authorities to keep residents informed at every stage. [4]

Chenab Valley, Pir Panjal, and Srinagar-Jammu NH Mapped as J&K's Key Landslide Hotspots

Scientific studies have identified Chenab Valley, Pir Panjal, and sections of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway as among Jammu and Kashmir's most critical landslide-vulnerable zones, presenting new research to state disaster management authorities and highway engineers. Researchers documented visible warning indicators preceding major slope failures, including ground deformation, seepage patterns, and vegetation stress detectable through satellite remote sensing. The Chenab Valley corridor, which carries substantial commercial freight and pilgrimage traffic, emerged as the zone with the highest concentration of unstable slopes, particularly during prolonged monsoon periods. Repeated closures along the Ramban-Banihal stretch of the Srinagar-Jammu NH have highlighted the highway's exposure to debris flows and rock falls. Experts presented recommendations for real-time sensor networks, slope stabilisation infrastructure, and pre-emptive evacuation protocols for high-risk villages situated below identified slide-prone escarpments. Authorities were urged to integrate landslide susceptibility maps into all future infrastructure project clearance procedures and to establish community-based early warning systems in vulnerable habitations. The studies were compiled by geoscience institutions and offer a roadmap for reducing disaster exposure across the region's rugged and heavily trafficked mountain terrain. [8]

Sources: [3] The New Indian Express · [7] Rising Kashmir · [4] dailyexcelsior.com · [8] Greater Kashmir