Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Feb 25: Hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying passengers, got stranded after authorities suspended traffic on Srinagar-Jammu national highway following fresh landslides and rain-snow on Monday afternoon.
Frequent disruption of traffic movement on the highway has resulted in acute shortage of essential commodities and forcing authorities to announce rationing of petrol and diesel besides LPG cylinders. Hundreds of Kashmir bound trucks carrying essentials and oil tankers are stranded at different places on the highway.
However, there was no change in the situation on Srinagar-Leh national highway and historic 86-km-long Mughal road besides Anantnag-Kishtwar roads which are closed since December last year due to accumulation of snow.
Official sources said this evening that one-way traffic from Srinagar to Jammu was allowed this morning on the highway. However, traffic was suspended again due to landslides and shooting stone at several places, they said adding there was major landslide at Magarkote while rain-snow was experienced on both sides of the Jawhar tunnel, Shaitan Nallah and Banihal.
Hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying passengers are stranded between Ramban and Ramsu. Similarly over 300 Kashmir bound oil tankers are stranded which has resulted in shortage of petrol and diesel in the valley.
Though the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Beacon have already started road clearance operation, but it will take several hours to put through the traffic.
Meanwhile after waking up to a sunny Monday morning, world famous ski resort of Gulmarg and other upper reaches received fresh snowfall, while rain lashed plains in Kashmir valley, resulting in dip in the day temperature, which settled below normal.
Meanwhile, the night temperature dipped and also settled below normal across Kashmir valley, where more snow and rain is predicted during the next six days under the influence of a Western Disturbance (WD), which is active in the region.
A Met department spokesperson said that very light rain and snow would occur at fairly widespread to widespread places in Kashmir valley during the next 48 hours. "The weather will slightly improve on Wednesday and Thursday with rain and snow at isolated places," he said.
However, he said a fresh WD, which originated from the Arabian Sea, and is approaching the region though Afghanistan and Pakistan will the region on Friday. "This WD will again lead to rain and snow at fairly widespread to widespread places in Kashmir valley," he added. |
