Flights delayed due to heavy fog in Srinagar

he weather was mostly dry but chilly during the night, while in the morning, the city was covered with thick fog as the meteorological department predicted rains and snowfall over higher reaches from November 27 to 30

: The foggy weather conditions continued in Kashmir on Tuesday, delaying flight operations in the morning due to low visibility at Srinagar International Airport.

Flights delayed due to heavy fog in Srinagar (HT)

The weather was mostly dry but chilly during the night, while in the morning, the city was covered with thick fog as the meteorological department predicted rains and snowfall over higher reaches from November 27 to 30.

“Some two-three fights were delayed due to the fog in the morning. Then the operations resumed as the weather conditions improved,” said Javid Anjum, director, Srinagar airport.

The MeT said that there was a dip in minimum temperatures in all stations of Kashmir division with mercury going below zero in many places during the night.

MeT director Mukhtar Ahmad said that the lowest minimum temperature was recorded at Konibal in south Kashmir at -4.4°C, while the summer capital Srinagar witnessed -1.2°C during the night.

He said that the southern resort of Pahalgam recorded -2.9°C and in ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir, the mercury dropped to -0.6°C.

“Shallow to moderate fog likely to continue till November 27 over many places of Kashmir division,” he said.

The MeT said that the weather will be mainly clear to partly cloudy at most places of Jammu and Kashmir till Thursday evening followed by brief spell of light rain or snow at isolated higher reaches on Thursday night.

The MeT director said that the weather may get wet from November 27 onwards. “From November 27 to 30, the weather will be generally cloudy with light rain/snow at isolated higher reaches,” he said.

“Overall no significant weather activity till November end,” he said.

Avoid power cuts beyond scheduled hours: J&K admin to power engineers

After facing criticism over worsening power crisis in the Kashmir valley amid bone-chilling temperatures, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has asked power engineers to avoid power cuts beyond the scheduled hours.

Principal secretary of power development department H Rajesh Prasad on Monday reviewed the power supply situation in J&K, particularly in the Kashmir valley amid decreasing temperatures, a government spokesperson said in a statement.

Prasad held a meeting with the managing directors of the power corporations and all chief engineers and senior officers of the department. During the review, it was informed that a curtailment schedule has been prepared based on the power availability in the region.

“Accordingly, the principal secretary asked the engineers to strictly follow the schedule, emphasising that no unscheduled power cuts shall be tolerated. He also stressed that under no circumstances should J&K engage in overdrawal of power, which is important not only to stay within the budget but also to uphold grid discipline and prevent unwarranted disruptions in power supply,” the spokesperson said.

The valley is facing unscheduled power outages over and above the 4.5 to 8 hours per day curtailment schedule by Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) issued last month. Kashmir has a need of 2,200 MW for 24 hour power supply and of 1,650 MW with 4.5 hour to 8 hour curtailment in metered and non-metered areas respectively. However the KPDCL is able to provide only 1,300-1,400 MW which necessitates the unscheduled power cuts over and above the 8 hour outage period.

The meeting noted that sufficient infrastructure has been created in recent years to improve the quality of power supply in the region. Additionally, J&K has availed loans under various schemes of the Union government such as Atmanirbhar Bharat and LPS Rules, whereby all outstanding dues of power generators accumulated over the years have been cleared.

However, under the schemes, the J&K administration has committed to the Indian government that the losses shall be reduced to minimum to ensure the viability of the sector.

“In line with the commitment to reduce the losses, the principal secretary issued explicit instructions to the engineers to put an all out effort to eradicate the menace of power pilferage by adopting stringent enforcement measures. He asked to maintain regular power supply in areas where people are regularly paying for their consumption, whereas in high loss areas, measures like metering and AB cabling be taken on priority,” the administration said.

Acknowledging that despite dispatching more energy to the valley during this year compared to previous year, there has not been much improvement in the revenue realization, Prasad directed the concerned officers to ensure that the bills are timely generated and distributed to the consumers.