Jmu-Sgr Highway reopens after closure for hours :
MeT predicts wet weather during next week
Srinagar: The Jammu-Srinagar highway, the only surface link connecting Kashmir valley with the outside world, was opened for traffic after remaining closed due to landslides and shooting stones at many places and fresh snowfall around the NAVYUG Tunnel near Qazigund, officials said.
The Banihal-Qazigund sector of the highway experienced overnight snowfall while landslides and shooting of stones from the hillocks were triggered by heavy rains at Rompadi-Banihal, Shalgardh-Wagan, Moumpassi-Ramsu, Panthiyal, Digdole, Maroog, Monkey Morh, Cafeteria Morh and Mehar in Raman district, the officials said.
They said a truck driver Waseem Ahmad Dar of Baramulla was injured when his vehicle was hit by a rolling boulder at Mehar around 4.30 am.
Dar was en route to Kashmir from Jammu and was rescued by a joint team of the police and civil volunteers, the officials said, adding his condition is stated to be stable .
The closure of the highway left dozens of trucks stranded at different places, the officials said.
Official sources said that a massive landslide occurred at Cafeteria Morh, Ramban while a massive rock slide occurred at Samroli.
Soon, they said, men and machinery was employed and massive rock blasted and debris cleared to restore the traffic.
“27 February, subject to fair weather and better road conditions LMVs(Passenger)/private Cars shall be allowed from both sides on Jammu-Srinagar highway viz Jammu towards Srinagar and vice-versa,” a traffic department official said, adding, “TCU Jammu/Srinagar shall liaise with TCU Ramban before releasing the traffic.”
Meanwhile, Mughal Road, connecting Shopian with Poonch and Rajouri districts, remained closed for vehicular movement in view of snow accumulation at Peer Ki Gali.
Also, Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri road remained shut for vehicular movement in view of snow accumulation on Zoji la axis and has been closed till further orders. Kishtwar-Sinthan road also remained closed in view of snow accumulation, the traffic department official said.
Meanwhile, the weatherman has forecast light rains and snowfall on March 2 to 3 in Jammu and Kashmir.
“There will be partly cloudy weather till March 1st and cloudy with possibility of light rain/snow (over higher reaches) during 2-3rd March,” an official of the meterological department here said. “There’s no forecast of any significant weather till March 5,” he added.
Earlier the meteorological department official said that Srinagar received 4.6mm of rain in the last 24 hours till 0830 hours. The summer capital of J&K recorded a rise of 0.2°C in night temperature with mercury settling at 1.8°C against last night’s 1.6°C, he said.
Qazigund, the gateway town of Kashmir, had 6.5 centimeters of fresh snowfall during the time and recorded a low of minus 0.2°C against 0.6°C on the previous night, he said.
Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, also received 4.0 cms of snowfall and had a low of minus 0.8°C against minus 1.5°C on the previous night, the official said.
Pahalgam, the famous resort in south Kashmir, received 16 centimeters of fresh snowfall and recorded a low of minus 0.8°C against minus 1.8°C last night, he said.
Gulmarg received 15.2 centimeters of fresh snowfall and recorded a low of minus 7.5°C against minus 5.5°C on the previous night, he said.
The temperature was 1.7°C below normal for this time of the year in the famous resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said.
Kupwara town in north Kashmir had 2 cms of snowfall and recorded a low of0.2°C against 2.2°C on the previous night, the official said.
While ‘Chillai Kalan’, the 40-day long harshest period of winter ended on January 30, and 20-day long ‘Chillai Khurd’ culminated on February 19, Kashmir is presently under the grip of 10-day-long ‘Chilla Bachha’.
Jammu had 21.7mm of rainfall overnight and recorded a low of 8.8°C against 10.4°C on the previous night, the official said. The temperature was 2.8°C below normal for the J&K’s winter capital during this time of the year, he said.
Banihal recorded 12 cms of snowfall and had a low of minus 0.4°C, Batote received 5cms of snowfall and recorded a minimum of minus 1.9°C while Bhaderwah witnessed 3.0 cm of snowfall and recorded a low of 0.1°C, the official said.
Ladakh’s Leh recorded a low of minus 6.6°C against last night minus 7.0°C on the previous night. Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, recorded a low of minus 7.9°C, against 18.0°C on the previous night, officials said. (with inputs from GNS)
