Transportation links with Kashmir Valley cut off for second day
(Sourced from PTI)
Kashmir was cut off from the rest of the country for the second consecutive day on Tuesday as the arterial Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and Mughal Road remained closed, while air traffic was suspended due to snowfall across the Valley. Nearly 4,500 vehicles, mostly trucks carrying essentials to the Valley, are stranded along the highway at various places.
"The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is closed due to accumulation of snow, especially around Jawahar Tunnel," an official of the Traffic Control Department said. "Snow clearance operations are in full swing to restore movement of stranded vehicles along the 260 kilometre road," he added.
Snow clearance operations are going on along inter-district routes as well as major roads linking tehsil headquarters to district headquarters. The administration is trying to ensure that essential services are least affected. However, slippery roads have resulted in traffic jams in some places. Meanwhile, flight operations to and from Srinagar remain suspended for the second consecutive day due to poor visibility.
Srinagar witnessed moderate snowfall in the past three days. Anantnag also received heavy snowfall. The minimum temperature improved in most places due to snowfall but still stayed below the freezing point. Srinagar recorded a low of minus 0.8 degree Celsius, Gulmarg settled at minus 4 degree Celsius, Pahalgam registered minus 1.1 degree Celsius, and Qazigund recorded minus 0.2 degree Celsius.
The MeT Office said, "Moderate to heavy snowfall, with isolated very heavy snowfall, was most likely to take place, especially in south Kashmir, Gulmarg, Banihal-Ramban, Poonch, Rajouri, Kistawar and Zanskar, Drass as well as on the higher reaches of Ladakh UT, over next 24 hours."
Kashmir is currently under the grip of Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day harshest winter period where the temperature drops considerably leading to the freezing of water bodies including, the Dal Lake. While Chillai-Kalan, which began on December 21 will end on January 31, the cold wave will continue even after that in the Valley with a 20-day-long Chillai-Khurd (small cold) and a 10-day-long Chillai-Bachha (baby cold).
