Umar Raina
Srinagar, Nov 23, KNT: Upper reaches of Kashmir witnessed fresh snowfall on Monday prompting authorities to shutdown important road links temporarily.
Reports said that light to moderate snow was reported from many areas of Kashmir. Kashmir capital Srinagar witnessed light rain while most of the tourist spots including Pahalgam, Sonmarg and Gulmarg received fresh snowfall.
The fresh snowfall led to the closure of Srinagar-Leh and Srinagar-Jammu highway. Hundreds of vehicles are stranded on these strategic highways.
DSP Traffic Ganderbal Faheem Ali said that vehicles carrying essential supplies to Kargil have been stranded. He said road from Srinagar to Kargil has been closed due to slippery conditions. He said that road was closed as a precautionary measure following fresh snowfall at high altitudes like Zojila, Captain Mode, Zero Point, Gumri , Sonamarg and other adjacent places.
He further said that Srinagar-Leh highway, including Sonamarg Zojila, Minimarg and Shaitani Nallah recorded heavy snowfall since Monday morning resulting in slippery road conditions.
Faheem Ali said that they will not allow any vehicle until they don’t equip their vehicles with Anti-Skid Chain to gain more grip on the slippery road condition at Zojila.
The MeT office has issued an ‘Orange Colour’ weather warning for the higher reaches of J&K and Sonmarg -Zojila axis on the Srinagar-Leh road, asking the administration and people to be prepared and to maintain vigil.
A MeT official told KNT that Pahalgam received 11 inches of snow while Gulmarg received 10 inches of snow. It was snowing in Gulmarg and Sonmarg till the filing of this report.
Meanwhile authorities advised people to undertake journey only after confirming status of Srinagar-Jammu or any other road.
Tourists were seen enjoying at tourist places particularly at Sonmarg and Gulmarg. “Today I realized Kashmir is a paradise on the planet in real sense. What a beauty this place has got,” said a couple from Maharashtra.
Some tourists however, complained that at Sonmarg electricity and water are not properly available. They said that BSNL tower stops working when there is power cut. “This place is really beautiful but the arrangements made by the government disappointed us,” they said. (KNT)