Srinagar, Dec 03: Kashmir Valley continued to reel under intense cold conditions on Tuesday night as minimum temperatures plummeted below the freezing point in most parts, weather officials said.

According to data compiled by Kashmir Weather, Srinagar recorded a low of -4.4°C, while several stations including Pampore (-5.0°C), Anantnag (-5.3°C), Baramulla (-5.3°C), Pulwama (-5.5°C) and Shopian (-5.9°C) remained among the coldest in the region.

Pahalgam continued to witness severe cold with -4.6°C, while Kupwara settled at -4.1°C. Gulmarg recorded -2.6°C, Kokernag -1.2°C, and Ganderbal -3.0°C. In higher reaches, Sonamarg touched -3.6°C, and Zethan Rafiabad registered -4.9°C.

In the Jammu region, temperatures also dipped notably, with Jammu city recording 8.1°C. Banihal dropped to -0.7°C, Bhaderwah to -0.2°C, Rajouri to 1.4°C, and Samba to 2.5°C. Katra recorded 7.6°C, while Udhampur and Ramban settled at 4.0°C and 4.1°C respectively.

In Ladakh, the mercury fell sharply with Leh recording -7.0°C, followed by Kargil at -5.6°C and Nubra Valley at -4.7°C.

Officials said the persistent drop in night temperatures is due to dry weather and clear skies, adding that cold wave conditions are likely to continue from December 6 with slight improvement on December 4 and 5. (KNC)

Srinagar, Dec 2: Jammu and Kashmir’s power sector is facing one of its most severe financial crunches in recent years, with the total accrued power purchase liability touching Rs 4751 crore as of September 30.

The staggering figure, accessed through official records, reflects an ever-widening gap between the cost of purchasing electricity and the revenue realised from consumers, a gap that has continued to deepen despite repeated reform attempts.

According to the Detailed Liability Statement, the single largest outstanding amount is owed to J&K’s own generation utility – the Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Corporation (PDC), along with the Baglihar Hydroelectric Project (BHEP) – which together are awaiting dues of Rs 2675 crore.

Central public sector undertakings are also among the major creditors, with NTPC owed Rs 638 crore and NHPC Rs 449 crore.

The transmission giant Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL), now Grid India, is awaiting Rs 172 crore.

Apart from these, private power generators, including Jindal Power and RKM (Talcher and IB) are owed a combined liability of nearly Rs 300 crore.

Smaller dues remain pending with NPCIL, Meja, SJVNL, and THDC, indicating that arrears are spread across almost every source from which J&K procures electricity.

Officials familiar with the financial position of the power sector said the liability has accumulated primarily due to J&K’s chronic Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses, which remain among the highest in the country.

The cost of supplying electricity in J&K is estimated at around Rs 7 per unit, while the average realisation from consumers is just about Rs 2.5 per unit.

This structural imbalance has resulted in year-on-year accumulation of arrears, even as the government continues to spend heavily on power purchases to bridge the demand-supply gap.

The crisis becomes clearer when viewed over a longer period.

Over the past decade alone, J&K has spent Rs 55,254 crore on purchasing electricity from outside power companies.

The financial outflow has grown steadily, with J&K spending Rs 8197 crore to buy 16,207 million units of electricity in 2021-22 – the highest in 10 years.

In 2020-21, the government spent Rs 7047 crore for 14,362 million units, while in 2019-20, the expenditure stood at Rs 6987 crore for 13,345 million units.

The upward trend is evident in earlier years as well, with power purchase spending at Rs 6561 crore in 2018-19, Rs 4844 crore in 2017-18, and Rs 4752 crore in 2016-17.

Between 2012-13 and 2015-16, J&K’s annual spending on electricity gradually rose from Rs 3382 crore to Rs 4803 crore.

Officials said these numbers highlight the rising financial burden despite repeated attempts to reform billing, metering and revenue collection.

The high cost of power procurement, combined with low revenue recovery, has led officials to rely heavily on schemes such as the government’s amnesty scheme, which focuses on recovering principal amounts while offering waivers on interest and penalties.

However, senior officials admit that such measures only provide temporary breathing space and do not address the structural leakages responsible for the widening financial deficit.

Electricity theft, meter bypassing, unmetered consumption, and inefficient billing systems contribute significantly to the financial stress.

Srinagar, Dec 2: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday constituted a six-member committee to formulate a transfer policy for the regularised Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers working in the School Education Department (SED).

The move comes amid the persistent demand of the teaching fraternity, who were recruited as ReT teachers in the erstwhile SSA scheme and are now being absorbed into the department as Grade-II and Grade-III teachers.

Since the inception of the scheme in J&K in early 2000, the ReTs have continued to be posted in the schools that were their first places of posting.

Even if the teachers were shifted to other schools from their original place of postings, on an academic arrangement basis, officially, these teachers are not yet covered under any transfer policy in the department.

Over the years, these teachers were excluded during the mass reshuffle of the teaching community in the department, which, according to the teachers, was a grave injustice to them.

With the formulation of a transfer policy, these teachers will get exposure, besides learning experience as well.

The teachers said their regular reshuffle can infuse the education system with renewed energy and fresh perspectives.

“The routine transfers will not only allow us to experience diverse work environments while sharing experiences with their seniors, but will also facilitate the exchange of innovative teaching techniques as well,” a group of teachers said.

The teachers are hopeful that with the formulation of a transfer policy, their stagnation will be over and their contributions towards the department will be acknowledged.

As per the government order issued by Secretary SED, Ram Niwas Sharma, the six-member committee comprises Special Secretary SED, Additional Secretary SED, Joint Director Central SED, Joint Director Jammu SED, Deputy Secretary SED, and Under Secretary of the SED.

The committee has been constituted to examine all the issues connected with transfers, postings, and adjustments of ReTs and to formulate a comprehensive, transparent, and uniform transfer policy for regularised ReTs across J&K.

“The committee will study the existing norms regarding the transfer of regularised ReTs and will propose a uniform, need-based, and student-centric transfer policy for these teachers,” the order reads. “The proposal must ensure the rationalisation of staff, transparency, and administrative efficiency.”

The committee formulating the transfer policy will also assess the feasibility of periodic transfers, hardship postings, and tenure-based placements of these teachers.

“The committee shall submit a detailed report along with a draft transfer policy to the government within two months,” the order reads.