Handwara


Handwara is a town in the Kupwara District of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Located on Baramulla-Kupwara National Highway NH-701 it is governed by a municipal committee.

Geography

Handwara is located at at an average elevation of 1,582 metres above sea level.

Politics

Handwara is in a politically volatile area of Kupwara. It was the home constituency of the late separatist leader Abdul Gani Lone and of Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan. The current MLA for Handwara is Sajjad Lone of the Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference, who defeated Ramzan of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference by more than 5000 votes in the 2014 assembly elections.
Municipal Committee Handwara is an Urban Local Body with 13 elected members, which administers the town.
#NameMunicipal WardReservation StatusParty
1Iram Amin BandayBanday MohallaWomen OpenIndependent
2Farooq Ahmad BhatHerporaOpenIndependent
3Masroor Ah. BandayJamia JadeedOpenIndependent
4Dilshada JanJamia QadeemWomen OpenIndependent
5Gh. Mohd. GanieKhanbal Maqbool AbadOpenIndependent
6Bashir Ah. KhanKhanbal Tantray MohallaOpenIndependent
7Zoona BehumDurishporaWomen OpenIndependent
8Mumtaza BegumBaghatporaOpenIndependent
9Ateeqa BegumKachiwariOpenIndependent
10Zamrooda BegumChotiporaWomen OpenIndependent
11Mushtaq Ahmad HanjiTootigundOpenIndependent
12Nazir Ahmed BhatZaliporaOpenIndependent
13Ab. Majid PandithWani MohallaOpenIndependent

Literacy

The Census of 2011 showed the literacy rate of Handwara at 77.26%, higher than the national average of 67.16%. There is a gender difference in literacy, with a male literacy rate of 87.40% and a much lower female literacy rate of 64.91%.