Srinagar, Mar 31 : Hordes of tourists visiting Kashmir valley are fascinated by the mustard fields as the mustard crop has turned the whole picturesque Kashmir valley into golden.

According to mustard growers, following sufficient snowfall and rains this winter, the crop yields are much better than the previous year.

On the way to Pahalgam, 16 kilometres off Srinagar on the national highway, many tourists feast their eyes and minds with the scenic view of blooming mustard flowers.

Srinagar/New Delhi, Mar 28 : In the wake of upcoming elections to the Lok Sabha and recent instances of infiltration bids by the anti-national forces, a high alert has been sounded in Jammu and Kashmir.

Paramilitary forces have started intense patrolling and taken up adequate security measures through deployment of armed personnel to prevent any militant attacks in Srinagar.

A five-day gun battle in Kashmir between militants and the Indian army has raised security concerns before the elections.

Srinagar, March 25 : The Indian Army on Wednesday said that the Pakistan-based terrorist group Laskar-e-Taiba (LeT) along with some other foreign outfits, were responsible for the gunbattle with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir''s Kupwara district.

Addressing the press here, Brigadier General Gurmeet Singh said that high-order arms and ammunitions recovered from the terrorists indicate Pakistani help.

He pointed out that the terrorists couldn''t have accessed the weaponry without state backing.

Srinagar, Mar 24 : With mustard blossoms in full bloom, farmers in Kashmir are hopeful of bumper mustard crop this year due to timely rain.

Mustard crop is cultivated during winter in an estimated 60 thousand hectares of paddy fields in the Kashmir valley, which according to an estimate is about 40 percent of the total area under paddy.

The crop is sown in September-October after paddy is harvested. As temperatures rise after winter, rapeseed-mustard crop blossoms and is harvested towards the end of May.

Srinagar, March 24 : The death toll in the ongoing gunbattle between militants and security forces inside the Hafrada forest in Jammu and Kashmir''s Kupwara district has risen to 19.

The encounter, which is continuing since March 20, has claimed the lives of 11 militants and eight security personnel.

On Monday, three militants and three security personnel lost their lives.

On receiving information about militant infiltration in the forest area, the Army, assisted by local police acted promptly and launched a gunbattle.

Srinagar, Mar 23 : Wildlife authorities in Kashmir have initiated a census on the Hangul deer, one of the endangered species, to identify threats to the species and formulate a strategy to save them.

The Hangul is characterized by impressive, spreading antlers of the adult male and its rich brownish red coat. Female Hanguls don''t have horns.