Punjab granted 21 holidays to protect students from the cold, but families traveled to much colder areas.
A traffic jam is being witnessed in Ilam district of Kalam valley as people from all over Punjab are traveling there to enjoy the holidays. Photo:X
As winter vacations were announced across Punjab to protect students from cold, fog and smog, families instead traveled from relatively warmer areas to areas experiencing extreme cold and snowfall.
With the onset of winter, public and private schools, colleges, universities and academies in Punjab were given 21 holidays.
However, instead of avoiding the cold and smog, students, parents and teachers headed to much colder areas, including Murree, Kalam Valley, Galiyat, Malam Jabba and Swat.
Students, parents and teachers are now demanding an extra week of winter break. Meanwhile, as cold weather and snowfall began, families from Murree, Galiyat and Malam Jabba moved to Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Peshawar to protect their children from the extreme weather conditions.
In Murree, Galiyat and Malam Jabba, winter vacations in educational institutions last from December 24 to March 5, spanning almost two and a half months, while summer vacations are limited to two weeks.
Residents of these areas temporarily moved to Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Attock and Chakwal.
At the same time, families from Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sargodha and north Punjab arrived in Murree and Galiyat for winter vacations.
All the small and large hotels, motels and rest houses in Murree and Galiyat are fully booked, with families taking advantage of the snowfall and winter weather.
