Srinagar: Sun greeted people on Friday in Kashmir valley, where mercury continued to surge during the past over a week, while deficit rainfall was recorded due to dry spell.

However, people at the world-famous ski resort of Gulmarg and famed health resort of Pahalgam witnessed sub-zero degree temperature during the night. The border town of Kargil on Srinagar-Leh national highway, which was closed for the past more than two months due to accumulation of snow, was coldest at minus 15.4 degree Celsius, followed by Leh at minus 8.3 degrees.

However, mercury was below minus 25 to 35 degrees at the Line of Control (LoC) in the Union Territory of Ladakh, where security forces remained on alert, to foil any 1990-like situation, when Pakistan intruders had occupied all heights in Kargil and Drass sectors. It took several months to kill or push back the intruders.

The dry spell will continue in the next week also, in the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, a Met department spokesperson said here.

He said after recording the highest snowfall in the past three decades, the week from January 30 to February 5 witnessed deficit rainfall in the valley. Water level in rivers remained below normal, as snow on higher reaches was frozen and there was deficit rainfall, so far.

However,  experts said this will have no impact on irrigation and drinking water supply during summers, as enough snow has accumulated on mountains.

It was yet another sunny day in Kashmir, including this summer capital, where people were still wearing woollen and warm clothes, because of chilly winds in the morning and evening.

People were seen enjoying sunny weather at parks and gardens, including at Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of this summer capital.

The intensity of the heat was high, as compared to previous days, much to the delight of people.

The minimum temperature at Srinagar was recorded at 2.2 degrees, while it was 1.6 degrees, one degree and 0.9 degree at Kokernag, Kupwara and Qazigund, respectively.

Gulmarg, about 55 km from here in north Kashmir, was coldest in the valley at minus 5.6 degrees minimum temperature. The experts said this will help snow to melt slowly.

At Pahalgam, the minimum temperature was minus 2 degrees, a Met spokesperson said here.

Srinagar: Bellying the tall claims of government to revolutionize the education sector, around 1200 government primary schools in J&K are run by a single teacher each, depriving the students from having adequate staff in schools.

The disproportionate pupil teacher ratio at primary level has punctured the department claims of strengthening the education system at primary level.

As per the official documents, there are 13175 government primary schools functioning in J&K out of which 13 percent of primary schools are run by single teacher each which means 1200 schools are managed by just one teacher.

The single teacher schools exist in J&K even after the department merged over 2000 schools mostly primary level under the process of rationalization some five years ago.

An official said the MHRD has expressed serious concern over the issue and questioned the J&Ks education department over the disproportionate ratio in schools at primary level.’

“The department has been directed to take measures to rationalize the institutions properly in order to reduce the single treachery schools,” the official said.

The official said that the department has committed to the MHRD that it will rationalize teacher deployment in primary and upper primary schools, so that there is no single teacher school in J&K.

“All schools will have Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) as per norms under the RTE Act,” the official said. An official further said that most of the primary and middle schools particularly in rural areas are left teacher deficient as some teacher use their influence to manage their deputation in offices or in schools located in towns.

“This is the basic reason for existence of single teacher schools in J&K. Otherwise all primary and middle schools have specific sanctioned strength as per erstwhile SSA norms,” the official said.

Meanwhile, besides single teachers schools, around 1100 primary schools and 900 upper primary schools have adverse teacher pupil ratio in J&K state while as around 2100 schools are without subject specific teachers.

“The department has been advised to focus on completing the redeployment and rationalization of teachers in schools,” the official document reads as per KNO. Repeated attempts to reach out to Director School Education Kashmir Muhammad Younish Malik didn’t fructify. (KNO)

Srinagar:   A young boy who was working in a restaurant of Kashmir Press club Srinagar was found dead in a bathroom on Friday morning.

Reports reaching to Kashmir News service said that the boy who was working in KPC restaurant  as cook was found dead in bathroom by his co-workers, who informed the police.

The deceased was identified as Parvaiz Ahmad Ganie, a resident of Kalantra village of Baramulla.

Sources told Kashmir news service that the police have conducted all the legal formalities of deceased and later handed over body to his family members for last rites.

Meanwhile the KPC has condoled the demise of the Parviaiz and prayed for the departed soul