Snowfall disrupts normal life in Kashmir

Normal life was disrupted in Kashmir on the final day of the 'Chilla-i-Kalan', the harshest winter period in the region on Monday as snowfall disrupted Valley’s surface as well as aerial connection with rest of the country.

Moderate to heavy snowfall was recorded in the plains of Kashmir, while the higher reaches experienced heavy falls, officials said. The snowfall started late Sunday night in most places and continued till Monday afternoon.

The snowfall and landslides resulted in closure of264-km Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the only road link connecting Kashmir with other parts of the country, they said. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded at different points of the highway and workers and machinery have been deployed to clear the area.

The bad weather affected air traffic to and from Kashmir as flight operations at the Srinagar airport were suspended. Srinagar airport director Kuldeep Singh Rishi said all the flights till noon were cancelled.

“Our visibility is only 200 M and there is continuous snowfall We are simultaneously clearing the snow All flights are delayed To avoid inconvenience and to avoid congestion please check the status of your flight from your airlines before coming to the airport (sic),” he tweeted.

He said passengers of the cancelled flights will be accommodated by the respective airlines in the next available flight and there will be no extra charges for this reassignment.

Intra-Kashmir train services on the Baramulla-Banihal route were also suspended due to accumulation of snow on the tracks.

While people expressed excitement over the snowfall on social networking sites, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who is in Srinagar for the last lap of his Bharat Jodo Yatra was seen enjoying snow with his sister and party general secretary Priayanka Gandhi.

Tourists, who have arrived in huge numbers in Kashmir in recent days, were seen capturing the rare moment of snowfall in their cameras and mobile phones as 'snow men' sprang up in many parts of the Valley.