[Nasheman news] Srinagar Fresh snowfall in the Kashmir Valley and rains in plains of Jammu on Thursday adversely affected life across the state with people forced to stay indoors without electricity at many places, road links snapped and flight operation disrupted.

Most people in Srinagar city and other places preferred to remain indoors as snow and water logging made many roads inaccessible. 

Fresh snowfall started early in the day in the city here as it recorded 0.5 degrees Celsius. Heavy spells were reported from the hills. Pahalgam and Gulmarg recorded minus 0.6 and minus 4 degrees, respectively.

The strategic Jammu-Srinagar highway remained closed for a second consecutive day due to the fresh snowfall in Bannihal sector and landslides in Ramsoo-Ramban. 

The one-way traffic from Srinagar to Jammu that was allowed on Wednesday, was halted. 

Prices of essentials like vegetables, mutton and poultry products, have skyrocketed in the landlocked Kashmir Valley due to severing of road links.

Flight operations, too, were suspended at the Srinagar airport due to poor visibility amid heavy snowfall. “All flights to and from Srinagar were cancelled on Wednesday. 

“No flight could land or take off from the airport today morning,” an official at the Srinagar International Airport said.

Flight operations will start only after visibility improves, he said, adding that snow clearance on the runway was hampered by the continued snowfall.

Electric supply was interrupted in many parts of the valley, especially north Kashmir areas with the Power Department informing that efforts were on to restore snapped lines.

“Our supply is normal in Srinagar city. There have been problems in Bandipora, Ganderbal and other reas due to hiccups in 33 KV transmission lines, but the problem is being addressed. 

“The staff has been at it even in the midst of heavy snowing this time,” Qazi Hashmat, Chief Engineer, maintenance and rural electrification Kashmir told IANS.

He said at present the department is supplying 850 megawatts to consumers against the requirement of 1,200 MW in the valley.

The Met said a western disturbance active over Jammu and Kashmir is likely to weaken after 24 hours on Friday.

“As the western disturbance persists, widespread snowfall and rain is expected today though there should be signs of improvement later in the evening,”

“Significant improvement is forecast from tomorrow onwards,” a Met official said.

In the Ladakh region, Leh recorded minus 3.2, Kargil minus 16.4 and Drass minus 5.8 degrees Celsius

Jammu was at 9.3, Katra 7, Batote minus 1.6, Bannihal 0.2 and Bhaderwah was at minus 0.4 degrees Celsius.

[Nasheman news] New Delhi it  was a cloudy Thursday morning here as light to moderate rains lashed parts of the National Capital Region (NCR), while the weather office has predicted more showers throughout the day.

The showers however, had no effect on the mercury with the minimum temperature recorded six notches above the season’s average at 15 degrees Celsius.

With humidity recorded at 89 per cent, the air quality was ‘very poor’ in the city.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the overall quality index (AQI) of the national capital region was recorded at 265.

“The sky will remain generally cloudy throughout the day with light to moderate rain or thunderstorm and hail likely in the later parts of the day as well,” the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

At least 16 Delhi-bound trains were delayed by two to six hours due to fog and low visibility. 

In the past 24 hours, the city witnessed about 1 mm of rain.

On Wednesday, the maximum temperature was recorded at 25.1 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season’s average while the minimum was 12 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season’s average.

[Nasheman news] Visakhapatnam In these days of ostentatious marriages with even the middle-class families spending lakhs of rupees, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from Andhra is setting an example for others.

Patnala Basanth Kumar, Commissioner, Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) will be spending just Rs 36,000 on the marriage of his son scheduled here on February 10.

The families of bridegroom and bride will bear an expenditure of Rs 18,000 each on the ceremony, including the lunch for the guests.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan will bless the couple at the simple ceremony on Friday.

In 2017, Basanth Kumar had also performed his daughter’s marriage with equal simplicity by spending just Rs 16,100.

Basanth Kumar, who was promoted to IAS cadre in 2012, had earlier served as Officer on Special Duty and Joint Secretary to Governor Narasimhan.

People say he is setting an example at a time when many families are wasting huge money on marriages, which have become occasion for vulgar display of wealth.

[NASHEMAN NEWS] New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the indigenously built Train 18, called the Vande Bharat Express, on February 15 from here, a Railway Ministry official said.

Train 18, the country’s first engine-less train manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, will be flagged off at 10 a.m. from the New Delhi railway station. 

“He will also address people while flagging off the train,” the official said on Wednesday.

The passengers travelling from New Delhi to Varanasi in the executive class will be charged Rs 399 for morning tea, breakfast and lunch, while travellers in the chair car will need to pay Rs 344 for the same.

While the passengers travelling from New Delhi to Kanpur and Prayagraj will have to pay Rs 155 and Rs 122 for executive class and chair car, respectively.

From Varanasi to New Delhi, the passengers will be charged Rs 349 and Rs 288 in the executive class and chair, respectively. They will be served evening tea with snacks and dinner.

The Railway Ministry had earlier indicated that the fare of Train 18 would be 40-50 per cent higher than that of the Shatabdi Express.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal had earlier said that the indigenously built train would complete the distance of 795 km in eight hours, 35 per cent faster than other fastest trains on route.

Train 18recently became India’s fastest train by hitting a speed of over 180 kmph during a trial run. 

It would soon start replacing the Shatabdi Express trains and run between Delhi and Varanasi.

The gleaming blue-nosed train comes fitted with the world class amenities like high-speed on-board WiFi, GPS-based passenger information system, touch-free bio-vacuum toilets, LED lighting, mobile charging points and a climate control system that adjusts the temperature accordingly.

The 16-coach train will have two executive compartments which will have 52 seats each and trailer coaches will have 78 seats each.

The executive class will have rotating seats to match the direction of the train.

Nasheman News : The death of Canadian entrepreneur Gerald Cotten, died due to complications with Crohn’s disease while travelling in India in December, has left a huge stash of cryptocurrencies locked off from the people who own them.

Quadriga, Canada’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange, said it’s unable to gain access to $145 million of bitcoin and other digital assets after the death of Cotten, its 30-year old CEO and Co-Founder.

Many of the digital currencies held by Quadriga are stored offline in accounts known as “cold wallets,” a way of protecting them from hackers. Cotten appears to have been the only person with access to the wallets, according to court documents cited by Canadian media and posted online by cryptocurrency news site CoinDesk, CNN reported.

The unusual case highlights the risks investors face looking after their assets in the thinly regulated industry.

Cotten’s death has plunged Quadriga into crisis and left it struggling to figure out how to refund more than 100,000 of its users. The company filed for creditor protection in the Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Thursday.

“For the past weeks, we have worked extensively to address our liquidity issues, which include attempting to locate and secure our very significant cryptocurrency reserves held in cold wallets. Unfortunately, these efforts have not been successful,” Quadriga said in a statement on its website.

Cotten’s widow, Jennifer Robertson, said in the affidavit posted online that the laptop that Cotten used to run the currency exchange is encrypted.

“I do not know the password or recovery key. Despite repeated and diligent searches, I have not been able to find them written down anywhere,” she said.

The company hired an investigator to see if any information could be retrieved but ongoing efforts have had only “limited success in recovering a few coins” and some information from Cotten’s computer and phone, BBC reported.

The Canadian High Commission in New Delhi told CNN that it was aware of Cotten’s death and had “provided consular assistance,” but declined to reveal further details.