Kashmir remained cut off from rest of the country for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday as the arterial Jammu-Srinagar national highway and the Mughal road remained closed, while air traffic was suspended due to heavy snowfall across the valley.
Srinagar recorded a low of minus 3.2 degrees Celsius, an increase of two degrees from the previous night's minus 5.2 degrees Celsius, a spokesman for the MET department said in Srinagar.
'Sheikh Abdullah ruled the state with secular values. Post 1953, when he was sacked, corruption took over governance.'
A bright sunny day and rise in night temperature brought some respite from cold in most parts of the northern India except Kashmir valley where the mercury dipped further.
This was the lowest minimum temperature recorded in the city since 1991, when the mercury had fallen to minus 11.4 degree Celsius.
For the fourth consecutive day, Monday, the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained closed for traffic in the wake of landslides at some places, even as higher reaches in Kashmir received fresh snowfall overnight.
The all-time low recorded in the month of December in Srinagar is minus 12.8 degrees Celsius on December 13, 1934.
On December 7, 1990, Srinagar had recorded a low of minus 8.8 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature in Srinagar was recorded at a low of minus 0.5 degrees Celsius.
Around 29 trains have been delayed by two to five hours due to foggy weather, a railway official said.
The 40-day period of harshest winter in Kashmir known as 'Chillai-Kalan', began on Monday as the mercury dipped to season's lowest at several places including Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
Famous Dal Lake and other water bodies froze partially as Srinagar city, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, witnessed the coldest night of this winter with mercury plunging to minus 5.6 degrees Celsius.
Cold wave conditions continued unabated in Kashmir Valley with minimum temperatures hovering below freezing point, causing severe problems to the residents.
'Once accession to Pakistan appeared unlikely, the British instituted Operations Gulmarg and Datta Khel respectively to foil possible accession to India.'
Pakistani troops continued breaching the ceasefire along the LoC for the fourth successive day on Saturday by resorting to unprovoked firing and shelling, while two persons have been injured and several houses damaged in Jammu region overnight due to the violation.
The famous tourist resort of Gulmarg experienced fresh snowfall while Srinagar and other parts were lashed by rains under the impact of western disturbance
The field intelligence units of the Army coupled with inputs comprising HUMINT (human intelligence) and TECHINT (technical intelligence) indicate that around 300 terrorists, mainly of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT), are waiting across the border to sneak in, officials said, citing reports from Srinagar collated in the national capital.
Couples -- young and old -- celebrated Valentine's Day on Tuesday with flowers and gifts even as a few right-wing outfits played spoilsport in some parts of the country.
The Meteorological Department has forecast rains or snow over five days from Monday.
Surface and air links between Kashmir and rest of the country were cut off on Wednesday due to snowfall in the valley as the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was closed for traffic and all flights to Srinagar Airport cancelled.
Srinagar, the summer capital of the state, recorded a low of -4.2C, slightly up from the previous night's -4.9C.
The lowest temperature ever recorded in Srinagar was minus 14.4 degrees Celsius in 1893.
The minimum temperature in Kashmir Valley dropped again after a day's respite, while the mercury appreciated in Ladakh region by over a degree, even as dry weather continues to prevail over the state.
The crucial Jammu-Srinagar highway has been blocked
Most parts in north India on Sunday continued to reel under cold wave conditions coupled with fog, with mercury plunging below the freezing point in Rajasthan's sole hill station Mount Abu.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, in his first public meeting in Jammu after quitting Congress, announced to launch his own political outfit that will focus on the restoration of full statehood.
A top police official said that Pakistan is trying to infiltrate terrorists along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir even during the winters when most of the passes and mountainous areas along the border are covered in heavy snow.
Kashmir Valley reeled under sub zero temperature as mercury in summer capital Srinagar was recorded at minus 3.9 degrees Celsius and in cold desert of Ladakh it remained under the 10 degrees mark freezing most water bodies and fringes of famous Dal lake.
Singh said there is a large presence of terrorists across the Line of Control (LoC) but expressed confidence that the counter-infiltration grid will take care of the threat.
It was another chilly morning in the national capital as icy winds swept the city while early morning fog disrupted rail operations, delaying 52 trains.
The minimum temperature across the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh Union Territory stayed several degrees below the freezing point, intensifying the cold wave in some areas in the region, an official of the Meteorological Department said. He said Srinagar city recorded the low of minus 6.2 degrees Celsius last night, down from minus 5.8 degree Celsius the previous night.
About 10 inches of snow had accumulated on ground around Jawahar Tunnel areas, but the real problem is continuous landslides and shooting of stones triggered by incessant rains in Ramban sector which is hampering the efforts of early restoration of the highway.
The bone-chilling cold returned as the night temperature plunged below the freezing point across Kashmir division after a brief respite owing to the rains in plains and snowfall in high altitude areas early this week.
The denizens of Kashmir division experienced bone chilling cold as the night temperature in most places including summer capital Srinagar slipped below the freezing point, compounding the problems of those affected by the recent floods.
Traveller and trekker Amit Tyagi writes about the hidden gems of Kashmir. You won't regret including them in your next itinerary.
The former CM of the state also lashed out at the state government saying the Peoples Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party ruling alliance was a failure.
Light snowfall was recorded in the famous tourist resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir and areas in the higher reaches, including places near Amarnath cave shrine overnight while other parts of the Valley witnessed a drop in minimum temperature.
Large crowds thronged popular boulevards, tourist hubs and entertainment centres across India and many joined special prayers at places of worship on Sunday as people stepped out to celebrate the New Year without COVID-19 restrictions.
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