Ceasefire violations escalate: Pakistan fires across LoC, IB in 4 j&k districts, India responds
Jammu: Tensions between India and Pakistan intensified as Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) across four border districts in Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Army responded immediately and proportionately, according to defence officials.
The firing began with small arms late on the night of April 29, originating from Pakistan Army posts opposite the Naushera, Sunderbani, and Akhnoor sectors. Incidents were also reported along the IB in the Pargwal sector of Jammu district.
This marks the sixth consecutive night of ceasefire violations, occurring in the wake of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives. The attack led India to suspend the Indus Water Treaty, further worsening relations with Islamabad.
According to a defence spokesperson, additional incidents of cross-border firing were recorded in the Kashmir Valley’s Baramulla and Kupwara districts, which later extended to the Poonch and Akhnoor sectors, and subsequently escalated to other parts of Rajouri and Jammu districts.
In response to India’s suspension of the water-sharing pact, Pakistan retaliated diplomatically and strategically—closing its airspace to Indian carriers, halting bilateral trade, shutting down the Wagah border crossing, and warning that any interference with the Indus waters would be treated as an "Act of War."
The ongoing exchanges threaten the fragile ceasefire understanding reaffirmed in February 2021, when the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both nations had pledged to uphold the 2003 ceasefire agreement.
India shares a 3,323-km border with Pakistan, including approximately 2,400 km of the International Border, 740 km of the LoC, and a 110-km stretch of the Actual Ground Position Line in Siachen.
No casualties have been officially reported yet, and the situation continues to be monitored by Indian defence forces.
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PM unveils Rs 10,601-cr fertiliser plant in Assam, unit to be commissioned by 2030
Namrup (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone of a Rs 10,601-crore brownfield ammonia-urea plant in Dibrugarh district of Assam.
The facility – Assam Valley Fertiliser and Chemical Company Ltd (AVFCCL) – will have an annual urea production capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes and the project is scheduled for commissioning in 2030.
The PM, on the last day of his two-day Assam visit, laid the foundation stone of the plant here, located within the existing premises of the Brahmaputra Valley Fertiliser Corp Ltd (BVFCL).
In July this year, AVFCCL was incorporated at Namrup in Dibrugarh. The projectwas approved by the Union Cabinet in March this year.
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AVFCCL is a joint venture among the Assam government, Oil India, National Fertilisers Ltd (NFL), Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Ltd (HURL) and BVFCL.
Modi arrived in Assam on Saturday on a two-day visit, during which he unveiled multiple projects worth Rs 15,600 crore, months before the assembly polls next year.
"The AVFCCL Namrup ammonia-urea project is being established as a modern, energy-efficient, world-class fertiliser complex with an annual urea production capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes, at an estimated investment of Rs 10,601 crore," the company said in a statement.
It said this upcoming facility will play a pivotal role in meeting the fertiliser requirement of Assam, the northeast region, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
"Beyond fertiliser security, the project is expected to act as a major catalyst for industrial growth, employment generation and regional economic development, creating hundreds of direct jobs and thousands of indirect employment opportunities," AVFCCL said.
The company also asserted that the foundation stone laying ceremony marked the revival of Namrup's legacy as the cradle of India's gas-based fertiliser industry, and will herald a new chapter of growth, sustainability and agricultural prosperity for the entire region.
The 'Bhoomi Poojan' took place in presence of Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma along with other ministers, MPs, MLAs, senior officials and representatives of stakeholder organisations of the new company.
The state-run BVFCL is the only urea-making facility in the eastern India. The facility started production in January 1969, as a part of the Hindustan Fertiliser Corp Ltd (HFCL).
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BVFCL was formed in April 2002 after hiving off the Namrup Unit of HFCL. It is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, with 100 per cent shareholding by the Government of India.
It is touted to be the first factory of its kind in India to use associated natural gas as basic raw material for producing nitrogenous fertiliser.
The company has played a crucial role in the development of the northeastern region and providing farmers urea fertiliser, which is produced from cheap and locally available domestic natural gas, officials said.
As per the official website of the Department of Fertilisers, the company is now producing neem-coated urea and two organic fertilisers – liquid bio fertiliser and vermi compost under the brand name of 'Mukta'.
BVFCL has two operable ammonia urea units at Namrup, with small capacities, which were established in 1976 and 1987.
