Snow continues to cripple life in Kashmir; Srinagar-Jammu highway traffic remains blocked

Kashmir continues to remain cut off from the rest of the country with heavy snowfall blocking Srinagar-Jammu highway and air traffic remaining suspended for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday.

“Jammu-Srinagar highway remains blocked due to snow accumulation at Jawahar Tunnel and landslides, mudslides and shooting stones at Samroli, Magarkot, Panthyal, Marog, Cafeteria mor, Dhalwas, Nashri,” said an official. “The work is underway.”

Around 4,500 vehicles, mainly carrying supplies to the valley as well as passenger vehicles are stranded en route.

Due to heavy snowfall and poor visibility since January 3, all flights operating from Srinagar airport were cancelled.

“The concerned Airport Authority of India executives have been working very hard in coordination with Beacon staff and continuously monitoring the area to avoid snow accumulation in the apron area,” an official at the airport said.

Normal life has been severely across the Valley, with authorities snapping electricity to several parts in Kashmir as a precautionary measure and traffic movement too getting affected.

Reports said most parts of the Valley remained disconnected with the respective district headquarters on the fourth consecutive day as the snow clearing process was going on at a snail’s pace.

Patients across Kashmir faced extreme difficulties in reaching healthcare facilities as snow accumulation kept roads to hospitals inaccessible. Many health administrators complained of the slow pace of snow clearance.

Even in Srinagar city, most lanes and bylanes are still impassable for driving while main roads are being cleared. The main hospitals in Srinagar too had difficulty in access. The snowfall has also led to severe disruptions in milk and vegetable supplies to parts of Srinagar and elsewhere.

The heavy snowfall also caused power disruptions and as per official figures revealed during a meeting chaired by advisor to Lieutenant Governor Baseer Khan through video conference last evening, at least 223 feeders are still to be restored apart from several 33KV and 11KV lines. A few community transformers have also been damaged.

There have been reports of snowfall causing damage to residential houses in several areas of the Valley.

The heavy snowfall since the weekend has prompted authorities to order rationing of petrol, diesel, and LPG cylinders as well as establish helplines at district headquarters. The order for rationing of fuel by the administration has set panic in the Valley.

Meanwhile, Srinagar recorded a low of minus 0.9 degrees Celsius while mercury settled at minus 1.2 degrees in south Kashmir hill station of Pahalgam and minus 3.5 degrees in north Kashmir’s ski-resort Gulmarg.

Kashmir is in the middle of ‘Chillai-Kalan’, the 40-day winter period which commenced on December 21 and ends on January 30. The period is considered the harshest of the winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum.

The weatherman has forecast “significant” improvement in weather from January 6 afternoon.