Kashmir has once again donned its winter mantle after facing the wrath of being snowless for most of January. The enchanting town of Gulmarg has transformed into a white winterland after fresh snowfall covered Kashmir’s higher reaches and also ending a two month long dry spell in the Kashmir valley.

Pahalgam,Sonmarg, Gurez, Macchil, Karnah Doodhpathri and Shopian are the towns that received snowfall over the weekend. Kashmir is under the grip of Chilla-i-Kalan, a 40 day harsh winter period during which a cold wave sweeps the region, causing a considerable drop in temperatures and leading to the freezing of water bodies.

According to reports the weekend snowfall has turned an extended area of upto 8 square kilometers into a winter wonderland. At least 10 cm or 4 inches of snow was witnessed in Gulmarg. Intermittent light snowfall was reported at 2,652 metres elevation only two km east of Gulmarg, as per data acquired from private weather data aggregator Snow Forecast.

The Gulmarg Ski Resort which is located at one of the highest points in the world – sits in the Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas just over 50 kilometres from the city of Srinagar and about 20 km from the line of control (LoC), the de facto border with Pakistan.

The resort offers over 1330 vertical metres (4,363 feet) of skiable terrain and is most famous for the Gulmarg Gandola, which ascends to an elevation of 3,980 metres (13,057). For most parts of January, despondency prevailed in Gulmarg as bare grounds kept caused alarm among skiers, snowboard enthusiasts, and tourists alike.

After the snowfall tourists were seen playing with snowballs and taking pictures on their mobile phones. Their delight was evident as they frolicked in the snow, bringing a renowed sense of cheer to the region. Sonmarg in the Ganderbarg district of central Kashmir also reported snowfall over the weekend.

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Terrorist groups had planned a 26/11-esque terror attack against G20 delegates in Jammu and Kashmir’s Gulmarg, reports said.

Quoting sources, India Today reported that terrorists had plotted to carry out a Mumbai attack like assault during the G20 conclave in Gulmarg forcing security agencies to make last minute changes to the G20 Tourism Working Group (TWG) conference itinerary and remove the famed tourist resort from the list.

As per the report, the terror plot was revealed following the arrest of an over-ground worker or OGW, identified as Farooq Ahmad Wani, who was employed at a posh hotel in Gulmarg. Wani worked as an OGW for terrorist outfits and also was also allegedly in direct contact with officials from Pakistan’s spy agency ISI, they said.

Wani, a resident of Haigam area in Baramulla district’s Sopore, was arrested in April following intel about a plan being hatched to target the G20 conclave at the behest of Pakistan-based ISI handlers and terror operatives in the Kashmir valley.

Quoting sources, the report said that Wani told security agencies that the terrorists had planned to storm the posh hotel in Gulmarg where the delegates were scheduled to stay and take them hostage in a repeat of the scenario that played out at Mumbai’s Taj Hotel during the infamous 26/11 attack.

Wani, who used to work as a driver at the hotel, also revealed that the terrorists have made heavy preparations to carry out attacks at two or more places simultaneously during the upcoming G20 conclave in Kashmir valley.

Quoting security officials, the report said that that security has been beefed up across Kashmir valley, especially in Srinagar city, in view of the looming terror threat and key areas are being monitored by the use of CCTV and drones.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Police has issued a public advisory against suspicious international mobile numbers allegedly being used to spread rumours about the G20 meeting in Kashmir.

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is unwinding on the picturesque ski slopes of Kashmir’s Gulmarg, two weeks after culminating his grueling Bharat Jodo Yatra in erstwhile state’s former summer capital Srinagar on January 30 last month.

Pictures and videos of Gandhi skiing on the slopes of north Kashmir’s winter resort Gulmarg, show the Congress scion wearing a heavy jacket showcasing his skiing skills.

Reports said that Rahul Gandhi had a brief stop in Tangmarg town on his way to Gulmarg where he was spotted wearing his now-trademark T-shirt. The Wayanad MP posed for pictures with locals and the media, however, he politely declined to take questions from the press and instead greeted them with a humble “Namaskar” and left.

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Rahul Gandhi also took a ride on the famous Gondola Cable car and went to Affarwat for skiing where he posed for selfies with excited tourists before heading downhill.

The Congress leader was accompanied by his own security personnel and sleuths from the Jammu and Kashmir Police as he pranced down the snowy slopes in the valley’s winter wonderland.

Tourists and locals who took pictures with the Congress scion had nothing praise for Gandhi’s “humble” and “chilled” attitude, saying that the Wayanad MP deserved a vacation “after undertaking the monumental Bharat Jodo Yatra.”

Reports quoting Pradesh Congress Committee sources revealed that Rahul Gandhi is on a personal visit and is likely to attend a private function in the valley, however, the committee turned down any requests asking for details of the Congress MP’s programme in Kashmir valley.

Rahul Gandhi concluded his marathon Bharat Jodo Yatra with the unfurling of the national flag at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk on January 30 followed by a mega rally on the same day.

The Congress had a blast in the valley before wrapping up his marathon trek as he shared a loving moment with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Kashmir’s Srinagar city as the brother-sister duo enjoyed a playful snowball fight ahead of yatra mega rally.

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Srinagar witnessed the coldest night of the season as the Jammu and Kashmir capital recorded a temperature of minus 7.6 degree Celsius, the Met Office said today (Thursday, Dec 27).

After December 7, 1990, when the minimum temperature had dropped to minus 8.8 degree Celsius, Srinagar recorded the coldest night of the season at minus 7.6 degree, breaking the December 31, 2007 record of minus 7.2 degree, an official of the Met department said.

Water taps, lakes, ponds and other water bodies were frozen in and around Srinagar in the morning. Very few people stepped out of their homes due to the bone-chilling cold outside.

Pahalgam recorded minus 8.3 degree Celsius, and the minimum temperature in Gulmarg was minus 9 degree Celsius. Leh recorded minus 8.4 degree and it was minus 16.2 degree in Kargil.

Dras was the coldest town in Jammu and Kashmir at minus 20.6 degree Celsius. The maximum temperature in Drass on Wednesday was minus 8 degree Celsius.

Jammu recorded 4.3 degrees, Katra 3.7 degrees, Batote minus 2.2 degree, Bannihal minus 3.5 degree and Bhaderwah minus 2.5 degree as the night’s lowest temperature.

(With IANS Inputs)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar today (Dec 24) recorded the coldest night in 11 years as the minimum temperature dropped to minus 6.8 degrees Celsius, resulting in partial freezing of the Dal Lake and water supply lines.

“Srinagar city recorded a low of minus 6.8 degrees Celsius. This is the coldest recorded temperature in the city in almost 11 years. The city had registered a low of minus 7.2 degrees Celsius on December 31, 2007,” an official of the MET department said.

The all-time low recorded in the month of December in Srinagar was minus 12.8 degrees Celsius on December 13, 1934.

The official said Qazigund – the gateway town to the valley in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 5 degrees Celsius, while the nearby Kokernag town registered a low of minus 3.9 degrees Celsius on Sunday night.

Kupwara in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 6 degrees Celsius on Sunday night, he said.

The night temperature in Pahalgam, which serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath yatra in south Kashmir, settled at a low of minus 7.2 degrees Celsius on Sunday night, the official said, adding the resort was colder than Gulmarg and the coldest place in the valley.

The ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded a minimum temperature of minus 6.8 degrees Celsius while Leh recorded minus 14.7 degrees Celsius – down from minus 14.3 degrees Celsius the previous night which was the coldest night of the season in the frontier town.

Kargil recorded a low of minus 15.3 degrees Celsius.

Kashmir is currently under the grip of ‘Chillai-Kalan’ – the 40-day harshest period of winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum and the temperature drops considerably.

(With PTI Inputs)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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