Kashmir continues to be in grip
of cold wave
Srinagar: Cold wave conditions continued in Kashmir division, even though night temperatures in most parts of the Valley rose by some degrees. The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg recorded a minimum temperature of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, a rise of over two degrees from the previous night’s minus 5.5 degrees Celsius, a MeT Department official said. He said the south Kashmir tourist resort of Pahalgam also registered an increase of over two degrees in the night temperature, with the mercury settling at a low of minus 2.0 degrees Celsius. The minimum in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, which had recorded a low of zero degree Celsius the previous night, settled at 1.1 degrees Celsius, the official said. He said the night temperature in Qazigund registered a low of 0.3 degree Celsius, while the mercury in Kokernag and Kupwara settled at a low of minus 1.3 degrees Celsius and minus 0.7 degree Celsius, respectively. Though the minimum in Leh town registered an increase from the previous night’s minus 9.0 degrees Celsius, it was still the coldest place in the state with the mercury settling at a low of minus 7.1 degrees Celsius, he said. He said the nearby Kargil town recorded a low of minus 6.2 degrees Celsius. The MeT Department has forecast mainly dry weather across Kashmir division over the next 24 hours. (PTI)
Four of family die in building fire
Mumbai: At least four people of a family were killed and four injured early on Monday in a fire that broke out in a building in Mumbai, officials said. The victims were asleep when the fire broke out. The incident occurred in Kailash Apartments in Vikhroli’s Siddharth Nagar around 3.15 a.m., according to an official of BMC Disaster Control. The victims are Gautam Shalivan, 55 and his wife Poornima, 50, their son Vishal, 32 and grandson Ayush, 10. Four people in the nearby flats were injured in the blaze. The injured were admitted to Sion Hospital. Preliminary investigations revealed that a short-circuit could have led to the fire, which is now under control. (IANS)
Three junior doctors dismissed
Dehradun: Three resident junior doctors of Shrinagar Government Medical College have been dismissed on charges of indulging in drunken revelry and creating a ruckus at their hostel. The doctors – all of them appointed on contract – have been asked to vacate the hostel immediately by the college authorities yesterday, sources said. In a complaint lodged with the principal of the college, residents of nearby colonies had accused the doctors of creating a ruckus at the hostel under the influence of alcohol and abusing their family members on Saturday night. The hostel’s security also confirmed the allegations. Police said the doctors had been fined for breach of peace after they found the doctors indulging in a drunken revelry. (PTI)
Web portal on Maulana
Abul Kalam Azad launched
New Delhi: The government on Monday launched a web portal on freedom fighter and country’s first Minister for Education Maulana Abul Kalam Azad on his 125th birth anniversary. The portal — www.maulanaazadheritage.org — was launched by Minister for Minority Affairs K Rahman Khan and it has rare pictures, videos and information about Azad’s work as a freedom fighter, Islamic scholar and a journalist. Planning Commission member and Azad’s biographer Sayeeda Hamid, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Infrastructure, Public Information and Innovations, Sam Pitroda, and chairman of National Commission for Minorities, Wajahat Habibullah were also present at the event. Rajya Sabha member Najma Heptullah, grand niece of Azad, was also present. Khan said, “Maulana (Azad’s) thoughts, his contribution and commitment to nationalism and secularism is unparallelled. He was opposed to the idea of any nation forming on the basis of religion.” Pitroda said a proactive role should be taken by the people who have more information like rare photographs and his books to enrich the website and the portal could also be translated into foreign languages. Habibullah noted that Azad was a leader of a “school of thought”. He said Azad always advised the Muslim community that instead of considering itself as the largest minority in the country, the community should look at itself as the second largest majority, which would boost its confidence. Pitroda said more such protals were in progress on leaders like Subhash Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel. (PTI)