Highway continues remained shut for 2nd day, Gulmarg coldest at – 4.6°C

Editor

The Srinagar-Jammu national highway remained closed for the second consecutive day today though there was slight improvement in the weather conditions after two days of intermittent snowfall in the higher reaches.
The nearly 300-km highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was closed for traffic yesterday due to snowfall and rain at various places coupled with landslides and shooting stones. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which maintains the arterial road, has pressed its men and machines to restore traffic on the road but landslides and shooting of stones, triggered by rains, hampered the efforts.
No movement of traffic, either from Jammu or Srinagar, was allowed today as well, a spokesman for the Traffic Control Room here said. Efforts are on to clear the highway of the blockades at various places, including Battery Cheshma, Anookhi fall, Digdol, Panthyal, Ramsoo, Gangroo, Karol, Mehar, Chanderkot, Peerah, Sarga and Nashri. Snow clearance is also in progress at Jawahar Tunnel and Patnitop sectors to make the road traffic worthy, the spokesman said, adding that it might be opened tomorrow if there is no fresh snowfall or rain.
There was no report of snowfall and rain from anywhere since morning, much to the relief of people, especially those living in the high-altitude areas. However, MeT Department officials said there could be rain or snow in some areas in the next 48 hours.
Meanwhile, the night temperatures at most places in Kashmir continued their downward trend with Srinagar recording a low of 1.8 °C against the previous night’s 3.1 °C. The normal night temperature for this part of the season is 3 °C. The city recorded a high of 5.8 °C yesterday which was eight notches below normal, a spokesman of the MeT Department said. He said Gulmarg in north Kashmir was the coldest place in the state as the minimum temperature at the snow-bound ski resort settled at -4.6 °C.

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