J-K schools shut as cold wave sweeps Valley

SRINAGAR: An unabated cold wave is sweeping through the valley and Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir that has prompted authorities to shut all schools up to Class 8 for the winter recess, an oficial said on Wednesday.

The minimum temperatures dropped several notches below freezing point, the Met said, adding “The night temperatures are likely to drop further in the coming three to four days as the weather is likely to remain dry during this period.” It was minus 3.0 in Srinagar, minus 5.1 in Pahalgam and minus 4.0 in Gulmarg on Wednesday.

Leh town recorded minus 11.4 while Kargil recorded minus 10.9 in the Ladakh region In the Jammu region, Jammu recorded 9, Katra 8.5, Batote 3.5, Bannihal 0.8 and Bhaderwah 1.4 degrees Celsius.

An outpouring of kindness could not have come at a better time for the poor and less privileged people as biting cold sweeps the Kashmir Valley.

On the banks of the Jhelum river, alongside the fashionable Residency Road, well-to-do families in the city have been donating their warm clothes including jackets, coats, jerseys and more so that those in need can use them to beat the extreme cold.

The people donating these items hang them on what has come to be known as the “Wall of Kindness” for the needy to come and take them.

“It is great to see such kind gesture taking place in Srinagar. It is mostly the local youth who are in the forefront of this noble initiative,” said Bashir Ahmad, a shopkeeper in the area.

During the last decade and so, people in cities and rural areas of the troubled Kashmir Valley have actively been engaged in setting up orphanages and channelling donations for the needy and trying to help fellow citizens in distress.