Srinagar: Heavy snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir over the last four days has disrupted life in most parts while the Union Territory remained cut off from other parts of the country. All flights to and from Kashmir have been cancelled since Sunday.
Amid heavy snowfall in Kashmir, local hoteliers, houseboat owners help stranded tourists Many distressed tourists were stranded in Kashmir due to the closure of the Srinagar- Jammu national highway and cancellation of flights at the Srinagar airport. However, the local hoteliers and houseboat owners came to the rescue of these tourists who were staying in Srinagar hotels and houseboats in Dal Lake.
After the amendment of Article 370 in 2019 and then the Covid-19 lockdown in March last year, Kashmir witnessed almost negligible tourist footfall for one-and-a-half years. However, tourists finally started visiting the valley on New Year's eve.
As the New Year eve witnessed snowfall in Kashmir, a lot of tourists trickled down to the valley to have a glimpse of the white blanketed mountains and plains.
Also Read: Kashmir cut off by snowfall
But the heavy snowfall and closure of connectivity left some tourists stranded who were scheduled to leave the valley but had nowhere to go.
To help the visitors, the local hotels and houseboats owners are now providing free accommodation to the tourists till the weather improves and they are able to go back to their homes.
Talking with ETV Bharat, the stranded tourists said that they were quite distressed about the situation but the locals came forward and helped them to make them feel at home without any hassle.
One of the hotel owners, Malik Mir Anwar, while taking with ETV Bharat said that it was their duty to help the stranded tourists.
"We just did this as they were our guests in Kashmir and out of humanity," he added.
Due to the heavy snowfall, all highways including the Mughal road continue to be closed in the Valley for the fourth consecutive day, whereas all inter-district roads are either closed or have become very slippery for vehicles to commute.
BRO clears snow on runway at Srinagar airport after heavy snowfall
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has cleared the runway at Srinagar International Airport on Wednesday after it was closed due to heavy snowfall.
"It was made possible due to the continuous operation of the snow clearance machine on the runway to prevent the icing on the highway," said Col Mukesh of BRO. Officials said that after 72 hours of snowfall in Kashmir the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) pressed hi-tech equipment to clear the runway from the snow.
Also Read: Kashmir continues to receive heavy snowfall for fourth consecutive day
