Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Kashmir Valley on Monday received another spell of snowfall, leading to the closure of roads to the far-flung areas. The Srinagar-Jammu highway was also blocked for all kinds of vehicles on account of mountain rockfalls and mudslides, the police said. Shooting stones and mudslides occurred at several places between Chanderkot and Banihal, sources said.
Rocks rolling down mountains at shooting speed and hitting the Srinagar-Jammu highway has been a matter of huge concern. Surface transport was also affected due to heavy snowfall on the higher reaches.
Pertinently, the Valley is witnessing 'Chillai Kalan", the harshest period of winter, which started on December 21. According to the MET officials, moderate to heavy rain/snow was expected in Jammu and Kashmir between today evening and Tuesday morning. "Improvement in weather is expected from Monday evening onwards. However, a few places can continue to record rain/snow till Tuesday morning," the official said.
In view of inclement weather, all PG, engineering & other examinations scheduled to be held on Jan 30, 2023, have been postponed. Fresh dates for the deferred examinations will be notified separately later, said Controller Examinations, University of Kashmir.
"Our visibility only 200 meters and there's continuous snowfall. We're simultaneously clearing the snow. All flights delayed. To avoid inconvenience & avoid congestion please check status of your flight from your airlines before coming to airport", said Kuldeep Singh Rishi, Srinagar airport director.
Srinagar and plains of the Valley have tuned pearly white following considerable snowfall during this winter weather. The closure of the Jammu-Srinagar highway has paralysed vehicular movement. It has partially paralysed general life in Srinagar and other parts of the Valley as this highway is the only connecting between Kashmir and the rest of the world.
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People's movement to Srinagar has been obstructed. The trucks carrying essential supplies to the Valley have been held up on account of the blocking of the Srinagar highway. The administration is keeping a close watch on the weather forecast in order to reopen the highway the moment the threat from shooting stones and mudslides subsides.
The authorities are taking special measures to prevent any untoward incidents. There were instances in the past when landslides and mountain rockfalls had caused damage to vehicles and loss of lives on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.
