Bandipora: To attract the attention of higher authorities and the outside world for promoting winter sports, youths in the remote valley of Gurez have organized a snow cricket tournament on a frozen snowfield in Dawar village in Gurez sector of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district.
According to the locals, the remote valley has a great potential for winter sports as it remains covered under heavy snow which the tourism and sports authorities have failed to recognize. “They said that when different winter sports can be organized in Gulmarg and other parts of the country, why similar games can’t be held in Gurez during winter months as the area has great potential.
The serene and mesmerizing beauty of this small valley, mostly during winters when it’s covered with heavy snow, attracts the attention of many,” said one of the players.
The Player added that the successive governments have failed to recognize the potential the Gurez valley has for winter sports.
One of the local residents said that the area lags far behind other parts of the state as it remains cut off from rest of the valley and outside world for about six months due to the closure of Bandipora-Gurez road during winter months. “The closure is due to least importance paid towards this road, that is why we have been demanding a tunnel to provide round the year connectivity to this picturesque valley,”.
Read: Leh freezes at minus 11.9, Gulmarg shivers at minus 5.2
Locals said that youth have now turned to snow cricket at the foothills of famous Habba Khatoon peak to promote winter sports in Gurez and also beat the winter chill.
Locals said, that during winter month’s people of Gurez remain confined to their homes as they don’t have anything to do. “Had the authorities promoted this place as a winter destination and organized winter games, the area would get economically uplifted and it would also help the residents to overcome weather vagaries. The area has the potential for winter games like snow skiing, ice hockey and various other games,” he added.
While on Friday cold wave continued to sweep J&K and Ladakh with Jammu recording season's coldest night at 2.8 degrees Celsius and the Drass town remaining frozen at minus 28.5.
The MET department has predicted no major snowfall in J&K and Ladakh till December 31.
Absence of snowfall on new year eve is unlikely to disappoint scores of tourists and adventure lovers who have made bookings for the new year eve in Gulmarg and Pahalgam.
Night temperatures have started dropping below the freezing point in Kashmir division and Ladakh ahead of the 40-day long period of harsh winter cold called the "Chillai Kalan" in local parlance which begins on December 21.
The summer flow of all the rivers, streams, springs and lakes in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh depends upon how well have the perennial water reservoirs in the mountains been replenished by a bountiful snowfall during the Chillai Kalan.
