Punjab granted 21 holidays to protect students from the cold, but families traveled to much colder regions.
A traffic jam is seen in Ilam district of Kalam Valley as people from all over Punjab head there to enjoy the holidays. Photo:
When winter holidays were announced across Punjab to protect students from cold, fog and smog, families traveled from comparatively warmer areas to regions experiencing extreme cold and snowfall.
With the onset of winter, public and private schools, colleges, universities and academies across Punjab were granted 21 days of public holiday.
However, instead of avoiding the cold and smog, students, parents and teachers headed to much colder regions such as Murree, Kalam Valley, Galiyat, Malam Jabba and Swat.
Students, parents and teachers are now demanding an extra week of winter vacation. Meanwhile, as heavy snowfall and cold weather set in, families from Murree, Galiyat and Malam Jabba moved to Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Peshawar to protect children from the extreme weather.
In Murree, Galiyat and Malam Jabba, winter vacations in educational institutions last from December 24 to March 5, lasting almost two and a half months, while summer vacations are limited to two weeks.
Residents of these areas have temporarily shifted to Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Attock and Chakwal.
At the same time, families from Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sargodha and northern Punjab have reached Murree and Galiyat to spend the winter holidays.
All big and small hotels, motels and rest houses in Murree and Galiyat are full and families are enjoying the snowfall and winter weather.
