- Weatherman predicts Rains, Snow
- Officials issue avalanche warning for higher reaches
The Srinagar-Jammu highway remained closed for traffic for the second consecutive day Friday, causing inconvenience to hundreds of intending and stranded commuters, even as Meteorological Department predicted rains and snow in next 24 hours.
Officials said huge landslides near Ramban and Battery Cheshma areas on the Srinagar-Jammu highway forced its closure on Thursday. “The highway remained closed today and no fresh traffic will be allowed on Saturday,” Inspector General of Police (Traffic), Shafqat A Watali told Kashmir Post. He said so far they have not succeeded in clearing the landslides at Mehar.
“Agencies responsible for maintenance of the highway have asked for at least eight hours to clear the road,” the IGP said.
He said the condition of highway at some places is bad. “We don’t want to risk the lives of people and people have to understand this. Tomorrow we will able to clarify on the status of the road, subject to fair weather conditions,” he said.
Reports said hundreds of passenger vehicles and those loaded with essentials are stranded on the highway since Thursday morning.
“There are long queues of stranded vehicles and absence of police and other authorities have added to our problems,” a group of stranded passengers told Kashmir Post over phone.
They said restaurants and ‘Dhabas’ on the highway are running short of ration and other eatables and “there is no one to address our concerns.”
Meanwhile, local Meteorological department officials said they expect snow and rains in next 24 hours “as a fresh Western Disturbance is active in the region.”
In view of the prediction of bad weather, Divisional Administration Kashmir Friday issued a medium-danger avalanche warning for next 24 hours for hilly and avalanche-prone areas of Kashmir and Kargil districts.
“Medium-danger avalanche warning valid for next 24-hours from February 03 to February 04, 2017 (1700 hrs) exists for avalanche-prone slopes in Kupwara, Bandipora, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Kulgam, Budgam, Anantnag and Kargil districts of Kashmir division” a statement from the Divisional Administration read.
Accordingly, it said, Deputy Commissioners of Kashmir division including Kargil have been asked to take precautionary measures in their respective districts and advise people not to venture in avalanche-prone areas during the aforementioned period and keep clearing snow depositions from rooftops of their houses and bunkers to avoid damages.
MeT officials said Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir have started to witness a “remarkable improvement” in temperatures after the 40-day ‘Chillai-Kalan’, the harshest winter period, ended on January 31.
They said Srinagar recorded a low of 0.8 degrees Celsius while hill resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir registered an improvement of nearly two degrees in the minimum temperature to settle at minus 1.4 degrees Celsius.
Officials said the ski-resort of Gulmarg was the coldest recorded place in the Valley at minimum of minus 5.4 degrees Celsius, compared to the previous night’s minus 7.6 degrees Celsius.
They said minimum temperature at Qazigund, Kupwara and Kokernag towns revolved near the freezing point at minus 0.8, 0.4 and minus 0.1 degree Celsius, respectively.
Leh town in Ladakh region registered a low of minus 8.3 degrees, up from minus 11.9 degrees Celsius the previous night, making it the coldest recorded place in the state, the MeT officials said.
