| Continuous snow, rain, hailstorm cut of Valley from rest of Country | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 5: The continuous rain, snowfall and hailstorm in the entire State cut of the Kashmir valley as well as the mountainous districts of Jammu region from the rest of the country on the second consecutive day.
Landslide, shooting stones, slippery road, rain, hailstorm and snow led to closure of many roads including 300-km-long Jammu Srinagar National Highway. The Air traffic was also disrupted due to windstorm and heavy rain in Jammu.
Due to heavy landslide and stone shooting at Seri-Ramban, Kela Morh Panthal, Sher Bibi, Jigaini etc. between Patnitop and Jawahar Tunnel area, the 300-km-long Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained closed for vehicular traffic, forcing more than 500 trucks to halt at various places.
Anil Magotra, SP Ramban informed, "the condition on highway is same since Sunday late night, due to continuous snow and land slide/ shooting stones at some points between Patnitop and Banihal, it is closed for vehicular traffic."
"There are around 100 passenger vehicles, including buses, taxis, tempo traveler etc and more than 100 trucks/ load carriers are still stranded on 100 km stretch from Patnitop to Jawahar Tunnel," he added.
He said that necessary arrangement for the halt of the stranded passengers are there at 11 different locations at the highway, some schools, shelter sheds, police buildings have been vacated for the stranded passengers, with the facility of blankets, electricity and water arrangements.
Meanwhile, some houses were also damaged in village Botas, under the jurisdiction of police station Gool, the police has shifted around nine families to the safer place.
The link roads of Doda-Kishtwar, Poonch-Rajouri are also blocked due to heavy snowfall.
Apart from Patnitop to Banihal, there are 300 vehicles stranded at Udhampur, 200-250 trucks at Sidhra By-Pass in Jammu, 550 at Nud and 110 at Dayala Chak.
The Air Traffic has also been affected due to heavy snow in the State and four out of five airlines from Jammu to Srinagar were late by more than two hours today and Flight no IC-821 of Indian Airline has not landed at Jammu airport and flew to Srinagar due to windstorm and heavy rain. There are five airlines from Jammu to Srinagar, Indian Airlines, Spicejet, Jet lite, Indigo and Go Air. The last flight to Srinagar from Jammu was Spicejet, which was expected to take of at 4.20 pm but it took off at 6.10 pm.
Meanwhile, Jammu has observed the continuous rainfall with hailstorm for the second day in the city. While the Valley including mountainous districts of Jammu region observed continuous snowfall.
The weathermen said that there can be improvement in the weather after Wednesday afternoon, however, they forecasts, "Moderate to heavy rain/snow would occur at most places in Kashmir division and moderate to heavy rain/thundershowers at many places in Jammu division with possibility of hailstorm in Jammu division."
The continuous rain and snow fall raised the minimum temperature of Jammu upto 12.7 degree Celsius and maximum of 17.3 degree Celsius with 6.4mm of rain with hailstorm, while in Katra the minimum temperature was 9.1 degree Celsius and maximum 15.9 degree Celsius with 10.7 mm of rain, Bhaderwah has been recorded with the minimum temperature of 3.2 degree Celsius and maximum 7.3 degree Celsius with 27.8mm of rain, Batote has minimum 3.7 degree Celsius and maximum 8.0 degree Celsius with 24 mm of rain with hailstorm and the minimum temperature of Banihal was recorded 2.0 degree Celsius and maximum 7.0 degree Celsius with 23.2 mm of rain. |
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