Kashmir continues to remain cut off from the rest of the country with snowfall blocking Srinagar-Jammu highway and air traffic remaining suspended on Saturday.
A traffic department official said that the 264-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the only road link between Kashmir and rest of the country, remained closed for vehicular traffic for the second consecutive day on Saturday after fresh landslides in the Ramban sector.
Similarly, due to heavy snowfall and poor visibility, flight operations at the Srinagar international airport continued to remain disrupted on Saturday. “All the flights were cancelled on Saturday, till afternoon,” an official said.
On Friday, 31 flights operated to and from Srinagar international airport before a sudden change in weather led to the cancellation of six flights. On Thursday, 35 flights operated while six others were cancelled; 42 flights were cancelled on Tuesday while as many as 37 could not operate on Wednesday.
Also Read — Landslides block Jammu-Srinagar national highway
Normal life has been affected across the Valley due to snowfall, with authorities snapping electricity to parts of Kashmir as a precautionary measure and traffic movement also getting affected.
The Meteorological Department has issued an advisory, of a 'Red' alert till January 8 evening, saying that Kashmir would receive heavy to very heavy snowfall following which there is a possibility of gradual improvement in the weather conditions from January 9 morning. The advisory also stated that the surface and air traffic may get affected due to the prevalent weather conditions, adding that the landslides and avalanches may occur at vulnerable spots.
It appealed to people not to venture into avalanche-prone areas and follow the traffic advisory. It also appealed to people to maintain proper ventilation in rooms.
Kashmir is in the middle of ‘Chillai-Kalan’, the 40-day winter period between December 21 and January 30, considered the harshest of the winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum.
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