Kashmir experiences seasons first major snowfall

The Kashmir Valley experienced season’s first major snowfall with the white blanket of snow covering all higher reaches and plains, throwing normal life out of gear.
Unconfirmed reports said a man from Bandipora in North Kashmir was killed in the avalanche this morning. Valley continued to remain cut off from outside world by road while the air traffic was resumed in the late afternoon.
The snowfall started late last evening and it continued, intermittently, at many places throughout the day.
According to the figures provide by the meteorological department here, the summer capital witnessed four to five inch snow by 8:30 this morning while a precipitation of 4.0 mm was recorded during the day.
However, the highest snowfall was recorded at Jawahar Tunnel in south Kashmir where the snow was 4.5 feet deep. Among other places in the south, Qazigund and Pahalgam recorded 2.25 feet and two feet snow respectively.
In north, the picturesque Gulmarg recorded five inch snow in past 24 hours while nine  cm snow was recorded at Kupwara.
The unprecedented snowfall was witnessed at Ramban where around four to five feet snow has been recorded in the higher reaches while two feet snow was recorded in the lower areas.
The avalanche at Kudara Sumblar at Bandipora in North Kashmir killed a man this morning. The search operation in the area has been on since morning while the authorities have not confirmed the death yet.
“We have reports that the avalanche has killed one man, but we are yet to confirm it. We will have to wait for the search operation to complete,” head disaster management, Amir Ali, told Kashmir Times.
It is the first major snowfall Kashmir witnessed this winter.
The snow has broken the chill, bringing relief for the common man.
“The snow has at least brought relief from the dry chilly weather that we have been witnessing till date. It definitely is difficult to move out in snow, but the chill is not there,” said Hashim Mir, a businessman at Dalgate.  
The day, however, started with a delay with majority preferring to stay indoors. The government offices, banks, educational institutions saw a low attendance while the traffic movement on the roads was bear minimum till very late in the forenoon. The shops and business establishments also started the day late.
All university examinations scheduled for the day were canceled.
“It was impossible to reach office this morning due to the snow. I left home at 10 in the morning, but it was very difficult to find a bus. So I had to walk all the way to the shop at Batmaloo chowk,” said Meraj-ud-Din a businessman residing at Nowpora.
Due to heavy snow across the Jawahar Tunnel, the Srinagar-Jammu highway has been closed for traffic. Also, the air traffic remained suspended for most part of the day.
“Heavy snowfall has taken place across the Tunnel so the highway has been closed. But the work is on and hopefully the road will be opened shortly,” Amir Ali, who is also the officer on special duty to the divisional commissioner Kashmir, said
“No flight could operate from the Srinagar airport toll 2 PM, but afterwards all flights operated on schedule,” he added.
All inter distrct routes, Amir said, have been cleared “except the Pakharpora-Pulwama road where the work is still on.”
More snow, avalanches likely
According to the met department, more rains and snow are likely to occur at many places within next 24 hours.
The disaster management, however, sounded medium danger avalanche warning for Baramulla, Gurez, Tanghdar, Anatnag, Pulwama, Shopian, Kupwara, Machil and both sides of Jawahar Tunnel.
Light off for 2 days
The snowfall, according to Amir Ali, has damaged the Kishanpora-Wagoora power transmission line, rendering the entire valley without electricity for two days.
“The work on the transmission line is on, but it will take at least two days,” Amir said.
He, however, said the 75 MW power has been restored to hospitals on priority.
“We are running a gas turbine and Uri-Wagoora and Lower Jhelum Projects. They collectively supply 75 MW Power, which is being given to the hospitals,” Amir said.

Rail services suspended in valley

The derailment of the Srinagar bound train allegedly due to negligence of railway authorities near Sadoora railway station in South Kashmir yesterday led to the suspension of the rail services in the valley today. The suspension of the rail services without any announcement by the railway authorities caused much inconvenience to the passengers.Official sources said that the authorities suspended the rail services today as they remained busy with the maintenance of  the railway track throughout the day.“After the yesterday’s incident the railway officials were directed to carry out the maintenance of the train and the track at the site of the accident leading to the suspension of the train services throughout the day today,” official sources said.

A railway official said that the morning train from Baramulla to Qazigund will ply as per the scheduled time tomorrow after which the services may again be suspended.“It may take few more days to carry out the complete maintenance of all the compartments of the train so the authorities may again suspend the rail service in the afternoon tomorrow,” he said.

Meanwhile the unannounced suspension of the rail service caused a lot of inconvenience to the passengers at many railway stations. “Many passengers had arrived at various railway stations early this morning to board the train to their respective destinations but much to their inconvenience they were informed that the train will remain suspended. The railway authorities should have made prior announcement about the suspension of the rail services,” said a railway official wishing anonymity.

PDP holds protest demonstrations

Continuing its campaign against corruption, mis-governance, lack of development, price rise and human rights abuses, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today held protest demonstration at all district headquarters in the Kashmir valley.

Thousands of party workers led by their senior leaders hit the street in large protest demonstrations taken out in Srinagar Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, Pulwama, Budgam, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Bandipora and Kupwara. In Srinagar the protest rally started at PDP office and was led by Senior PDP leaders Muzaffer Hussain Beig, Moulvi Iftikar Ansari, Tariq Qarra and distict president Mohammad Ashraf Mir. The demonstrators raised slogans and carried placards highlighting common man’s woes, rampant corruption and failures of the present coalition.

Addressing the rally Muzaffar Hussain Beig said that the Omar Abdullah led government had put the state in a reverse gear at all fronts. “While other states of the country are marching forward, Omer Abdullah, busy in political gimmicks, has put a virtual stop on the growth and development of the state leading to miseries for people, rampant corruption, unemployment and runaway price rise,” he said.

Accusing the National Conference of fooling the people, Beig said “The Abdullahs have resorted to a division of labour within the family to eat the cake and keep it too. Under this arrangement Farooq Abdullah performs the role of appeasing Centre, Mustafa Kamal catering to separatist sentiment and Omer Abdullah half here and half there to stick to chair at the cost of state interests.” He said the people, however, were conscious enough now to see through the NC game and would teach them a lesson whenever an election was held, and PDP would continue to channel their aspirations.

Beig accused the NC led coalition of trying to deflect attention from the corruption in Abdullah family that was exposed by the suspicious death of their close confidante Haji Yousuf and resorted to hollow rhetoric on AFSPA. He said the deceased NC worker had only sought to reconcile the dirty money collected for Dr Abdullah in his meeting with Omar Abdullah and the next thing about him was that he died in a matter of hours. “What ever Omar and his courtiers do to cover up the scandal, justice would catch up with them sooner or later” he said.

He also accused the NC led government of failing to protect peoples’ rights, life and honor. “This government did not even prosecute a single official accused of killing 120 innocent boys last year,” he said .He said the NC would have to account for every penny of the loot they indulged in and every drop of blood they shed of innocent Kashmiris and PDP would work for public accountability of all political parties.

He said the present government is incapable of doing anything let alone removing AFSPA from the state. The removal of APSPA from Budgam and Srinagar, where it is not applicable, is only a political gimmick. “It will have to go from all areas - from  Kupwara to Poonch where this law actually is a source of trouble and not merely Srinagar and Jammu as a cosmetic exercise planned by Omar” he said.

Beig said it was the PDP in 2007 that first proposed the removal of AFSPA. “It was in 2007, when Mufti Sahab wrote a letter to Prime Minister saying there was no need of APSPA in the state. The PM had then set-up a working group to look into the matter.” Subsequently the working group led by the vice president Hamid Ansari recommended scrapping of this law, a development that has been frittered away by Omar Abdullah through his shoddy handling of the issue in panic reaction to exposure of his family’s corruption.

He accused the CM of holding the centre hostage by beating the AFSPA drum for holding on to his CM chair. He questioned “why Omer Abdullah raised the pitch on AFSPA at a time when voices in congress were raised for the rotational CM?”Beig said the last three year governance of National Conference led coalition government has only brought down the quality of governance to a level that common mans trust has eroded from democratic institutions. “The prices are sky rocketing and every minister in this government is involved in scams and corruption.” He said PDP government raised annual plan allocations from 1900 crores to six thousand crores during its tenure. Additionally, it got special packages worth 32000 crores but Omar Abdullah has not been able to even spent this huge  funds properly with the result that no new schemes or projects have been taken up. Even the once started by the previous cioalition have been shelved.

Later while addressing his party workers here at press enclave, Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari said: “We demand the complete revocation of the AFSPA from the entire state and not merely from four districts as proposed by Omar Abdullah. The army does not anyway operate in these areas from where Omar proposes to revoke the AFSPA.”

In Anantnag, the demonstration was led by Abdur Rehman Veeri, Peerzada Mansoor, Mohd Rafi Mir, district president Peer Hussain , Abdul Rahim Rather and Imran Amin including Zonal presidents. The rally was attended by thousands of people and workers who demanded for improved living standard.

In Ganderbal, the protest demonstration was led by Qazi Mohd Afzal, Bashir Ahmed Mir, Abdul Waheed Dar, G R Shaheen. In kulgam the rally was led by Deputy Speaker Mohd Sartaj Madni, Sofi Abdul Gaffar and district president Nazir Ahmed Laway.

In Shopian, the protest demonstration was led by Senior leader and MLC Murtaza Khan,  district president Mohd Shafi Banday, Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Wani and others. In pulwama the rally was led by Mohd Khaleel Bandh, Syed Bashir, Zahoor Ahmed Mir district president Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Mir, Showkat Gayoor, Mukhtar Ahmed and others.

In Baramulla the demonstration was led by Mohd Dilawar Mir, Syed Basharat Bukhari, javed Hussain Beig and others. In kupwara the rally was led by Abdulhaq Khan, Sofi Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din, Irfan Sultan Panditpuri, Fayaz Ahmed Mir and others.

In Bandipora the protest demonstrations was led by Nizam-ud-Din Bhat and district president Yasir Reshi. In Budgam the rally was led by district president Saif-ud-din Bhat, MlA Javed Mustafa Mir, MLA Mohd Shafi Wani, Agha Syed Mehmood , Ghulam Nabi Hanjoora and Nazir Ahmed Yatoo.

Water war in Baramulla

As many as 12 people, including a police officer were injured in the violent clashes triggered by water row between the villagers of two different areas of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

According to reports, intermittent clashes break out between the villagers of two different areas of Rafiabad since early this week over the sharing of water from nallah Hamal. The nallah irrigates thousands of kanals of agriculture land in over a dozen villages including Yarbug, Chergund, Manjampora, Sean, Sadnaar, Batpora, Sheikhpora, Behkirpora, Fidarpora, Chatloora, Dangiwacha, Watergam, Rawoocha, Waripora, Sangrampora and Channam.

The clashes, reports said, broke out after the villagers of an area demanded more share of water from the nallah to irrigate over 4000 kanals of their agriculture land. However, the other group, who have over 40,000 kanals of agriculture land refused to entertain their request. The refusal led to tension between the two parties before it led to fierce clashes.

On Thursday, reports said, the villagers again clashed over the issue. A police party led by Station House Officer (SHO) Dangiwacha, Murtaza Ahmad Qureshi, who tried to diffuse the clash between the rival groups, was also caught up in the clashes. Murtaza and at least 19 villagers, reports said, have been injured in the clashes so far.

“We have deployed CRPF troopers and police in the areas to maintain law and order in view of the clashes over the water sharing. The area is comparatively peaceful now,” SHO Dangiwacha said.