Kashmir highway reopens for one-way traffic

The Srinagar-Jammu national highway was opened for one-way traffic on Thursday, three days after heavy snowfall hit Kashmir.

The 294-kilometre long highway, the only all-weather road link between Kashmir and rest of the country, was closed on Monday evening in view of landslides and snowfall.

A senior traffic official said that stranded vehicles will first be allowed to move from Jammu to Srinagar.  However, roads connecting far-flung villages with their respective district and tehsil headquarters in north Kashmir would remained closed.

The valley is already facing shortage of eatables including mutton and poultry products.

Meanwhile, the night temperature across Kashmir division, including Ladakh region, decreased with Pahalgam and Gulmarg tourist resorts registering the coldest nights of the season.

An official of the Met Department said Srinagar recorded a low of minus 1.5 degrees Celsius, down from the previous night's minus 0.7 degree Celsius. Ski-resort Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded a low of 9.8 degrees Celsius, he said, adding it was the lowest night temperature this season at the resort.The resort was the coldest recorded place in the state.

The official said Pahalgam - which serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra - registered a minimum of minus 6.5 degrees Celsius - down by nearly nine degrees from 2.1 degrees Celsius the previous night. The Mercury in Leh town of cold desert Ladakh region settled at a low of minus 8.5 degrees Celsius while nearby Kargil town recorded a low of minus 8 degrees Celsius.

The Met office has  predicted  light rain or snowfall at isolated places in the state over the next 24 hours.