Govt braces up to meet any eventuality

Srinagar: The metreteorological centre Srinagar on Thursday predicted snow from Saturday evening in Kashmir and said that there will be a further fall in temperature to sub-zero degrees during morning and evenings of the day, deputy director MeT Mukhtar Ahmad told Kashmir Reader.
According to him, from late evening of December 4 till late night of December, both plains and hilly areas are predicted to receive intermittent snowfall, but there is no major change in the weather conditions till December 15.
“From December 4 later evening snowfall will be received in a scattered way. Hilly areas will receive light to moderate snowfall. while plains are predicted to receive light snowfall,” he said.
Mukhatar also said that morning and evening temperature is further going to fall to sub-zero temperature, an average of minus 2.5 degree Celsius. But during the day, it is going to get better. He also said that fog will also disappear in the evening for some days until December 10.
“Afterwards it will start appearing again,” he added.
Kashmir Valley is just weeks ahead of Chillai Kalan, a 40 day period of intense cold in Kashmir. But the cold wave has already begun, making people wrap themselves in woolen clothes. To prevent cold, people wear Pherans and prepare Kangri (firepot) to keep themselves warm.
So amid the weather forecast of snowfall, all deputy commissioners (DCs) of Kashmir division have been told to ensure people do not suffer due to blockade of roads due to snow accumulation.
A note of the minutes of the meeting chaired by Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Farooq Khan said that all the Deputy Commissioners shall ensure that no death shall happen due to the blockade of road in view of snow accumulation and also no fire incident will happen due to the road blockade.
All road clearing departments/agencies viz Roads and Buildings, PMGSY, MED, BRO, NHA, NHIDCL have been directed to keep their men and machinery ready. They have been asked to put in place a comprehensive snow clearance Action Plan while taking into account the weather forecast,” it reads.
Power cuts in the winter are another cause of trouble to the people. However Principal Secretary to Power Development Department, Rohit Kansal has said that the department is fully prepared for winter especially the 40-day harsh ‘Chillai Kalan” period and stated that Kashmir is getting 10 to 12 per cent more power supply as compared to last year. This remains the perennial statement made by the government ahead of winter, but how will it be effective has to be seen.
Meanwhile, Srinagar recorded a low of minus 1.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday night — up from minus 2.5 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night, MeT officials said.
They said, Pahalgam, which serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of minus 4.2 degrees Celsius, up from minus 5.2 degrees Celsius 24 hours earlier.
Gulmarg resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district also recorded a minimum temperature of minus 1.5 degrees Celsius while the mercury in Kupwara in north Kashmir settled at a low of minus 3.3 degrees Celsius.
Qazigund, the gateway town to the valley, recorded a low of minus 1.5 degrees Celsius, while Kokernag’s minimum temperature settled at minus 1.4 degrees Celsius.

Junaid Nabi Bazaz