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Jammu and Kashmir continued to reel under cold wave conditions on Monday morning, with dense fog reducing visibility to less than 50 metres in several areas, including parts of Jammu division.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Jammu city is expected to record a maximum temperature of 11 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 3 degrees Celsius today. Other hill and plain regions in the Union Territory are also experiencing sharp temperature drops. According to IMD data, Gulmarg is likely to see a maximum of 5 degrees Celsius and a minimum of minus 3 degrees, while Batote may record a high of 15 degrees and a low of 2 degrees. Kathua is expected to witness comparatively milder conditions, with temperatures ranging between 19 degrees and 7 degrees Celsius. Amid the biting cold, Nathatop, the famous hill resort of Jammu province situated 10 Km ahead of Patnitop-the popular hill resort, witnessed a rush of tourists, the locals as well as outsiders, especially on Saturdays and Sundays, to enjoy the picturesque landscape at an altitude of 8.900ft to avail weekend holidays. Most of these tourists visiting Nathatop come here from the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra via Patnitop with the hope of getting to see snow on the slopes. These tourists said that although they were disheartened not to see snow here but they enjoyed the scenic beauty and the far-off snow-clad peaks shining under the blazing sun around Nathatop. Tourists frolicked and danced to Bollywood and Punjabi songs, some around the bonfires while others enjoyed trekking the slopes. The vendors, hoteliers, taxi drivers and all others dependent on tourism prayed for an early snowfall as it would not only provide them a good livelihood after a months long slump but also end a prolonged dry spell thereby recharging the earth's water sources and increasing the ground water level necessary for agriculture and horticulture and hence increasing functioning of hydel power projects which have been generating a very less power supply for past many weeks and thus causing a power crisis in J&K. A shopkeeper at Nathatop, Balkrishen, said tourism-dependent businesses are struggling due to the prolonged dry spell. "Business is good only on Saturdays and Sundays. There is no snow, and it is dry. If there was snowfall, business would improve," he said. Visitors echoed similar sentiments. Ajay Gupta from Delhi said he came to Nathatop after visiting Vaishno Devi but was disappointed by the absence of snow. "We came for snow, but there is none. Still, the air is cool, and the place is enjoyable," he said. Anita Kumari, a tourist from Jammu, said they were expecting snow but decided to enjoy the surroundings nonetheless. Dilip, a tourist from Gujarat travelling with his family, said the group had hoped to see snowfall but were still enjoying the trip despite the dry conditions. Surya Kumar from Haryana, visiting Nathatop for the first time, said the cold breeze and valley views made the visit memorable. (ANI)
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