- Snow throws life out of gear in Kashmir
- Ground & Air Traffic Remained Suspended
Snowfall in the Kashmir valley on Friday isolated it from the outside world as it grounded air traffic and blocked roads, including the highways, that connect it with the rest of the country.
The Kashmir valley, including Srinagar city, received heavy snowfall, pausing life in the region and causing widespread power outages.
This is the heaviest snowfall experienced in the summer capital this season. Sonam Lotus, director of the Srinagar Meteorological Centre, said snowfall was likely to continue over the next 24 hours and was expected to slow down or stop from tomorrow afternoon.
Lotus said snow fell across the Kashmir valley and had been heavy at several places such as Srinagar and Gulmarg. It was the first widespread snowfall of the season.
An official at the traffic control department said all roads entering and exiting the Kashmir valley were closed due to the snowfall.
The Jammu-Srinagar highway, Srinagar-Leh highway, Mughal Road and the roads to remote parts of north Kashmir were closed.
Nine inches of snow had accumulated near the Jawahar tunnel, gateway to the Valley, the official said, adding that air traffic in the region had been suspended due to the weather conditions.
Sharad Kumar, director of Srinagar International Airport, said 40 incoming and outgoing flights scheduled for today were cancelled. “All flights were cancelled due to the snowfall,” Kumar said.
Srinagar, incidentally, did not receive snow last year. This time, it is covered in six inches of snow, bringing routine life in the region to a pause.
The traffic and pedestrian movement on the city roads and in other districts has thinned out.
The snowfall also caused widespread power outages in the region. Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar Farooq Lone said only 50 per cent of the areas were receiving power supply.
The government has failed to clear the snow on all major roads in Srinagar hampering the vehicular movement and emergency services.
From early morning hours on Friday the Srinagar city received continuous snowfall making the movement of traffic difficult and increasing the risk of accidents. All the main roads and interiors witnessed traffic jams for hours creating difficulties for people.
“We have been waiting here for two hours. There is traffic congestion and we have not been able to move. The government has not cleared the snow here even as it is one of the most common roads used by people connecting different areas in Srinagar,” said Shaista Jan, who was stuck in a traffic jam at Jawahar Nagar, Srinagar, on Friday noon.
As the Valley is undergoing the 40 harshest days of “Chilai Kalan”, the temperature mostly touches the freezing point making roads slippery and increasing the chance of accidents. At many places the locals were managing the traffic themselves as many vehicles overturned on the city roads.
“The roads could have been cleared since morning. The emergency services have been hit as vehicles are unable to move. There is a complete failure of the government, despite prediction of snowfall a week ago. The government is totally invisible and unprepared,” said Manzoor Ahmad, a Srinagar resident.
The main roads in Srinagar city which experience heavy traffic rush like Jawahar Nagar, Rambagh, Raj Bagh, Baghat, Hyderpora, Jahangir Chowk, Budshah Chowk witnessed traffic jams as the vehicles were not able to move due to snow till evening.
The Chief Engineer, Roads and Building Department, said due to traffic congestions the department was not able to clear the roads as the machines were not able to move.
“Our 25 machines are deployed on the ground. People were jubilant due to snow and they started coming out on the roads in vehicles which led to traffic congestion making the movement of our machines difficult. We appeal to people to have some patience and stay indoors for a while so that we can clear all the roads. We faced this problem mostly in Srinagar. We are hopeful that by evening we will clear all the roads,” the Chief Engineer said, adding thatsnow clearance will continue during night.
Remain alert, assist people: IGP to cops
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, SJM Gilani, on Friday directed all policemen and officers to remain alert and provide assistance to people in the wake of heavy snowfall in the region. A police spokesman in a statement said the IGP had directed all police officers of the Kashmir valley to “gear up men and machinery under their command and control” to meet any possible challenge and eventuality.The IGP has also ordered that all subordinate formations should remain available and coordinate with other government departments to tackle and manage all civil issues arising out of the inclement weather.“The IGP has ordered for the establishment of emergency control rooms in all districts of the Valley to provide necessary help to the people in need,” the spokesman said. The spokesman said all district heads had put their men on high alert to meet any eventuality in their districts.
