‘Chillai kalan’ over, but it’s freezing

Kashmir’s harshest 40-day winter period ‘chillai kalan’ got over by January-end but the freezing night temperatures have made a comeback. Though snow after chillai kalan would melt quickly, the sub-zero night temperatures are ensuring that the white cover stays. The night temperature on January 8 plummeted to -5.7°C, which as per the meteorological department was 5.3°C below normal. The minimum temperature on January 9 night was -3.4°C, with residents again waking up to slippery roads on Sunday. The only respite is that the Valley is witnessing sunny days. The weatherman has forecast another wet spell from February 13. M Aamir Khan

Frozen road to airport causes chaos 

Passengers travelling to and from the Srinagar airport on Saturday morning had a tough time on the last stretch of about 2 km of the road leading to the airport due to its frozen surface. The passengers, who had landed at the airport, had to wait in the cold outside the airport for their vehicles, while those who had to board flights were late. Policemen had to help the drivers push forward the slipping vehicles. The road surface was frozen due to the clear night skies following a snow spell. This continued for a few hours until the sun shone and the ice started melting, easing the movement of traffic. Ehsan Fazili 

‘Rechristen’ J&K 

As Ladakh has finally got the divisional status after decades of struggle, people on online platforms are suggesting rechristening J&K as Jammu & Kashmir & Ladakh (J&K&L). With three administrative divisions, political parties are seeking similar arrangement for Poonch and Rajouri (Pir Panjal region) and Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts (Chenab valley), which could set a new political discourse ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in J&K. Sumit Hakhoo

PDP watching its leaders 

As senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders continue to desert the party, the high command is keeping a watch on the leaders travelling outside the state. Recently, a senior party leader visited Delhi in connection with the admission of his son but before leaving, he had to inform the party leadership about his travel so as to counter the rumours that he was going to desert the party. Dinesh Manhotra

NHM strike not taken seriously

National Health Mission (NHM) employees have been protesting in the Jammu region for the last 27 days, demanding regularisation of their services and release of salaries, but the administration is not taking them seriously. During the PDP-BJP rule, NHM employees had held an indefinite strike in March 2017 but their leadership cheated them by striking a deal with the then Health Minister without getting any concrete assurance. It is their fault that nobody is taking them seriously now. Amir Tantray