Extreme cold conditions in Valley

Valley has again been gripped under severe cold wave as the  temperatures dipped down to zero degree Celsius, giving Kashmir one of the coldest days of the season.Following poor visibility at the airport here a number of Srinagar bound flights were cancelled from different parts of the country. Two Indian Airlines flights for Hajj pilgrims were also cancelled. During the day, Srinagar recorded 0.2 degree Celsius, Qazigund  recorded minus 0.8 degrees, Pahalgam minus 1.6,  Kokernag 0.7degree, Kupwara 0.9 and Gulmarg  recorded minus 1.0 degree Celsius.

However the weatherman has ruled out the possibility of any snow or rainfall in the Valley.“Valley will remain cold till tomorrow. But there is no possibility of rain or snowfall at least for a week,” said  Sonum Lotus, Director Meteorological Department. Sonum said it will remain overcast and hazy till tomorrow.“There will be poor visibility during the morning and evening hours also. The weather will improve from tomorrow evening,” said Sonum.He informed that no rain or snowfall has been experienced on the higher reaches of the Valley as well. “It will remain cold but dry,” Sonum said.

While Kashmir reels under chill, the ‘Chillai Kalaan’ is 20 days away.  Lasting for forty days, chillai kalaan, which begins on December 21, is believed  to be the coldest part of the whole winter season of Kashmir. People make preparation to tackle the chill of this season weeks before its onset. Besides warm clothes, the dwellings are also equipped with heating gadgets. The schools and other educational institutions are closed down for winter vacations. Once the period of chillai kalaan is over, twenty days long chillai khurd (meaning small chilla) is welcomed.

This period is believed to bring warmth to the air and thus a change in season. This is followed by third part of the winter, chillai bachch. During the 10 days period of chillai bachch, Kashmiris believe that the chill in water breaks and becomes warmer. Once the chillai bachch is over, the soil gets warmness, as people here believe.

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.