Cold wave intensifies, woollens out
The cold wave conditions in Srinagar have intensified after the Valley received season’s first major snowfall on Thursday. Due to the cold wave conditions, the minimum temperature in night has also dropped considerably. In view of the prevailing conditions, people have switched to heavy woollens to keep themselves warm. The demand for woollens has gone up by leaps and bounds. Even the traditional Kangris (the fire pot) are being used by the people to keep themselves warm as electricity continues to play hide and seek.
Jammu to be winter capital for six months
Jammu would be the capital of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for the six winter months, as the seat of governance has started shifting from Srinagar. The administration would function from Jammu till late May. With the arrival of Spring, around the first week of May, the administrative affairs would be run from Srinagar again. The practice of Durbar Move was started by Dogra ruler Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1872 to escape the extreme weather conditions of Kashmir in winter and Jammu in summer. However, the move has turned out to be burden on the exchequer. Officials said about ` 150 crores are being spent annually on the bi-annual shifting of record, machinery and furniture from one city to another.
No school teachers for census work
School teachers in Jammu and Kashmir would not be used for census work in the Union Territory. This was disclosed by Chief Secretary, BVR Subrahmanyam while chairing a meeting of the State Level Census Coordination Committee to review the preparatory work for conducting the next Population Census 2021 in Jammu and Kashmir. He directed that school teachers be kept out of the purview of the Census-2021. The news has come as a major relief for teachers, who have been pressing the government not to use their services during elections or any other government exercise.
Panel sought to rein in stray dog menace
Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed the divisional commissioner of Kashmir to form a committee to rein in the stray dog menace and practice of dumping their carcasses across the Valley. The divisional commissioner has been asked to ensure collection of reports from all the heads of the municipalities of districts in Kashmir and place the same before the committee to enable it to put forth its views and suggestions in the matter. The directions were passed after a hearing on the submissions of amicus curie, AH Naik, who alleged that authorities in Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) were dumping the stray dogs in peripheries of different areas of Kashmir.
Fayaz wani
Our correspondent in Jammu and Kashmir
fayazwani123@gmail.com