After seven-day snow block, one-way traffic resumes on Jammu-Srinagar highway

14/02/2019

Jammu, Feb 13: One way traffic from Jammu on the highway connecting Srinagar was allowed on Wednesday, a day after the strategic road linking Kashmir with rest of the country was cleared of snow, officials said.
The resumption of traffic on the 270-km highway after seven days closure came as a major relief to the stranded passengers and the people of Kashmir who were facing shortage of essential commodities.
The officials said two workers and a policeman were injured Tuesday when they were hit by stones from a hillock overlooking the highway at Maroog near Banihal.
Despite light snowfall and rains on Tuesday night, over 2,000 vehicles, including trucks carrying essentials like fuel, ration and vegetables, crossed Jawahar Tunnel after opening of the highway on Tuesday afternoon, they said.
Jawahar Tunnel area experienced a brief spell of snowfall last night, while light rains also lashed Banihal-Ramban stretch.
"The traffic was allowed to ply from Jammu to Srinagar while no vehicle was allowed from the opposite direction to ensure smooth movement of the vehicles," a traffic department official said.
He said the traffic on the highway was plying smoothly when last reports were received, with over 3,000 vehicles including 1,900 trucks carrying various commodities crossing Nashri Tunnel in Udhampur district till 6 am.
Adequate men and machinery were deployed in the 12-km problematic Ramsu-Panthiyal landslide zone to ensure least disruption on the highway, the official said.
The Kashmir Valley received fresh snowfall and rains overnight, leading to an increase in the minimum temperature, even as the Meteorological department has forecast moderate precipitation across the state for the next two days. Fresh snowfall was recorded in Gulmarg and Pahalgam tourist resorts as well as in Kupwara, an official of the Met office here said. He said while Gulmarg , the famous ski resort in north Kashmir, received 30 cm snow during the night, Pahalgam, which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnathyatra in south Kashmir, recorded 3 cm snow.
Kupwara in north Kashmir received three inches of fresh snow, he added. The official said there are reports of fresh snowfall in a few other areas in the higher reaches of the Valley.
Plain areas, including summer capital Srinagar, received a mix of snow and rains during the night which continued till the morning on Wednesday, he said.The cloud cover over the Valley led to an increase in the night temperature, providing some relief to the residents form the cold conditions. Srinagar recorded the minimum temperature of minus 0.1 degree Celsius last night - against minus 1.0 degrees Celsius on the previous night, the official said Wednesday.
He said the minimum temperature also increased in Qazigund which recorded a low of 0.8 degree Celsius, Kokernag (minus 0.3 degree Celsius), Kupwara (0.2 degree Celsius), Pahalgam (minus 0.3 degree Celsius) and Gulmarg (minus 3.0 degrees Celsius). The Met office has forecast moderate rain/ snow at widespread places in Kashmir, fairly widespread in Jammu and scattered in Ladakh over two days from Wednesday.

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