Advisor Khan reviews arrangements, discusses modalities with stakeholders
Precious Kashmir News
Jammu, Jan 7: Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Farooq Khan, chaired a high-level meeting to review all arrangements to be put in place for the second edition of Winter Games under Khelo India programme besides International Himalayan Snow Race. The mega national event will commence from February 11 and conclude on February 16 at Gulmarg.
The meeting was informed that around one thousand players from different parts of the country are expected to participate in various events which included Snow Skiing, Snowboarding, Cross country, Snow show, Snow Cycling and other snow-based events.
To provide hassle free facilities to players and other concerned, threadbare discussion was held in the meeting regarding facilitation centre, Hospitality & Protocol services, receiving of guests, transportation, boarding & lodging, procurement of materials & equipment, technical requirements, parking facility, uninterrupted power and water supply, press publicity, cultural programme, food, maintenance of snow slopes, area domination, security, medical camps, event management and other arrangements.
While speaking on the occasion, Advisor said that Gulmarg is one of the finest skiing destinations in the world and undoubtedly the best in the country. He said that the last edition was a grand success and asked all the concerned departments to gear up their men and machinery to provide best possible facilities to the athletes, VIPs and other supporting staffs.
To provide hassle free transportation facility to the athletes and other concerned staff members coming from outside the UT, the Advisor asked the ADGP Traffic to make necessary arrangements for smooth movement of the vehicles carrying the players. He also directed ADGP Security to make necessary arrangements to provide security to the players besides maintaining law and order situation.
To provide accommodation facilities to the athletes, VIPs, technical staff, escorting officials and others, the Advisor asked the officials of Tourism department, JK Sports Council, JKTDC and Winter Games Association to make the appropriate arrangements for the same at the earliest.
The meeting took an important decision regarding COVID test facility for the participating players and others under which the athletes and supporting staff coming from outside the UT has to show his/her COVID negative test report. Besides, the decision to establish three control rooms at Jammu, Srinagar and Tangmarg was also taken in the meeting to expedite the testing of COVID-19.

Faizan Ahmad
Srinagar Jan 7: After resumption of flight operations at Srinagar airport on Thursday, there was chaos and confusion at the Srinagar Airport with the travelers caught in long traffic jams and walking on foot to reach the airport to take flights.
Flight operations at the Srinagar airport resumed today after remaining suspended for four days due to heavy snowfall.
However, it was a hectic day for travelers due to mismanagement of the authorities.
The snow had accumulated on both sides of airport road and authorities failed to clear the snow from the road. It led to traffic mess since the morning.
Many travelers including the tourists walked on foot to airport with their luggage in cold wave conditions, others were stuck at airport or in traffic jam for hours.
Insha Jan, one of travelers arrived at Srinagar Airport at 1 pm from Chandigarh. However, till 7 pm she was stuck at the airport.
“My brother had come to pick up me at 1 pm but he was stuck in traffic jam outside the airport gate for six hours. There is total mess. I was standing outside airport for six hours,” Insha said.
“I can’t walk because I am carrying a luggage. We are still inside airport premises,” she said.
She was yet to come out from outer gate when this report was filed.
Another passenger who returned from Delhi arrived at Srinagar airport at 12:30 pm.
“We reached to outer gate at 6:45 pm. Nobody is concerned about us. My 10-year-old son did not eat anything since morning because we are stuck in traffic jam,” said Mohammad Shafi, a businessman.
He said there were no officials to facilitate the traffic movement on the airport road.
The videos of travelers with their luggage walking on foot went viral on social media today.
An official of Traffic Department said there were massive traffic jams across Srinagar due to non-clearance of snow.
“This is for first time that such massive traffic jam was witnessed outside airport,” he said. (KINS)

Air traffic to resume today, highway still blocked

Srinagar: Normal Life continued to be badly affected in Kashmir Valley as snowfall stopped after four consecutive days on Wednesday. Flight operations to and fro Kashmir remained suspended while Jammu-Srinagar highway remained closed due to mudslide and landslides at several other places en-route the thoroughfare besides snowfall in and around Jawahar Tunnel where close to four feet of snow was recorded.
Officials told GNS that the thoroughfare, the only surface link connecting Kashmir with the outside world, shall remain closed for on January 7 even as the restoration work is underway.

 “On January 7, no vehicular movement shall be allowed on Jammu-Srinagar highway from Jammu towards Srinagar and vice-versa  in view of snow accumulation around the Jawahar Tunnel, landslides/shooting stones/mudslides  at Samroli, Dalwas, Cafeteria Morh, Sitaram Passi, Bai Nallah, Digdol Army Camp, Magerkot, Gangroo, Salad,” a traffic department official told GNS. Around 4500 vehicles, mainly carrying supplies to Valley as well as passenger vehicles are stranded at several place along the highway.

Regarding the air traffic, officials told GNS that all flights have been already cancelled but are being resumed from Thursday.

 “All preparations are done.  The flight operation will resume tomorrow (January 7).  We request to all passengers to confirm flight status update with concern airlines and approach to Srinagar airport before time to avoid rush.”

Due to snowfall, the official said that all flights were cancelled on 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th January.

Meanwhile, normal life remained badly affected in Kashmir Valley even as there are reports of snowfall causing damage number of structures. Most lanes are still impassable for driving across the Valley while main roads are being cleared, reports said.

A MeT official said that Srinagar received 34.7cm of snowfall in the last 24 hours till 0830 hours while Qazigund, the gateway town of Kashmir, recorded 33.7cm during the time.

Pahalgam, the famous tourist destination, and Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, recorded 29.0 and 17cm of fresh snowfall, the MeT official said.

Regarding Gulmarg, the official said that the world famous skiing resort accumulated 28cm of fresh snowfall while Kupwara recorded 22cm of snowfall.  Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal and Budgam districts received almost the same snow depth as Srinagar even as higher reaches accumulated more snow.

The heavy snowfall also caused power disruptions and as per official figures revealed during a meeting chaired by advisor to LG Baseer Ahmad Khan through video conference last evening, at least 223 feeders are still to be restored apart from several 33KV and 11KV lines. A few community transformers have also been damaged.

The snowfall has also led to severe disruptions in milk and vegetable supplies to parts of Srinagar and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Srinagar recorded a low of minus 0.9°C while mercury settled at minus 1.2°C in Pahalgam, minus 3.5°C in Gulmarg,  minus 0.2°C in Qazigund, minus 0.7°C in Kupwara while Kokernag recorded a low of minus 1.0°C, the official said.

Kashmir is in the middle Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day winter period which commenced on December 21 and ends on January 31. The period is considered the harshest of the winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum.

The cold wave, however, continues even after that in Kashmir with a 20-day-long ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day-long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold). The weatherman has forecast more snowfall in the next 24 hours and a “significant” improvement in from January 6.

The Weatherman has forecast a significant improvement in the weather conditions from this afternoon.

“Weather is improving gradually, significant improvement is expected from today afternoon onwards but light rain/snow will occur at scattered places of Jammu and Kashmir for next 24 hours,” Director Meteorological department Sonam Lotus said. “For now, there is no forecast of any major snowfall,” he said, adding, “From tomorrow, weather is likely to remain mainly dry.” (GNS)

Srinagar: As many as 22 families were on Wednesday evacuated from avalanche prone areas in south Kashmir district of Kulgam following a weather warning issued due to intermittent heavy snowfall since Sunday.

Official sources said that 22 families from Marisle Nallah Kund in Kulgam were on Wednesday evacuated as a precautionary measure following an avalanche warning issued by Jammu and Kashmir Disaster Management Authority (DMA). “The evacuated families have been shifted and lodged a Government School,” they said.