Protests rise against winter schools as Kashmir Valley shivers
Wednesday December 22, 2010 04:15:09 PM,
IANS
|
Srinagar: The
relentless cold wave and sub-zero temperatures have left thousands
of students in the Kashmir Valley literally shivering in their
classrooms, with protests rising against the government's decision
to keep schools open during the winter.
The minimum temperature plunged to minus 5.4 degree Celsius in
Srinagar Wednesday and the meteorological department has warned
that it could fall further in the coming days.
Schools have been ordered to start winter classes this year in
order to make up for the lost working days. The unrest in the
Valley that began June 11 had forced them to close down for over
four months.
Over 2.5 lakh students in classes 9-12, who have been asked to
continue classes, now find themselves forced to face the harsh
cold.
Students from at least three private schools assembled at the
Press Enclave in Srinagar Tuesday to protest the lack of adequate
heating arrangements inside their classrooms.
Ruling National Conference (NC) provincial president Ali Muhammad
Dar Wednesday appealed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to
reconsider the decision.
"We appeal the chief minister to look into the issue personally as
the students are suffering," Dar said.
A local lawyer has also filed a public suit urging the high court
to ask the government to provide necessary heating facilities to
the students in schools or revoke the decision to keep them open
in winter.
"Government has made it mandatory for winter schools in the Valley
to make adequate heating facilties," an education department
official said.
He said the department would carry out surprise inspections of
schools to ensure that heating arrangements are sufficient.
The news from the weather office is not very good either, at least
for the coming few days. The clear night skies are likely to
further bring the temperatures down.
"The minimum temperature was minus 5.4 degrees Celsius in Srinagar
Wednesday. It was minus 9.6 in Leh and minus 10.6 in Kargil
towns," M.S. Wani, assistant meteorologist, said.
In Pahalgam it was minus 5.6 while Gulmarg was at minus 5
Wednesday.
Wani said the present weather conditions would continue for a few
more days.
Most of the snow and rain in the Valley during the winter months
owes itself to western disturbances - the Caspian Sea storms
derived from the Westerlies - that enter the region from the
Afghanistan-Pakistan side.
"As of now, we do not have any such build-up in our vicinity,
which means temperatures could fall further in the coming days,"
the official said.
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