Srinagar-jammu highway remain closed, more snow in Shimla
SRINAGAR/ SHIMLA: The Srinagarjammu Highway remained closed for the fourth day on Sunday while flight operations resumed fully at the Srinagar Airport.
“As expected, barring light rain and snowfall at isolated places, no major precipitation occurred in all the three regions. Visibility in Kashmir improved significantly and is worthy for flight operations,” said Sonam Lotus, director of the meteorological department.
The Srinagar-jammu Highway has been closed since Thursday. Superintendent of police Traffic (rural), Muzaffar Shah said that snow clearance was underway on the 295-km road but landslides were making work difficult.
“The road is closed as there have been landslides on Ramban stretch. Up to Banihal, the road condition is alright but the problem stretch is from Banihal to Ramban. And what is even more problematic is that as the weather improves, landslides will increase,” Shah said. “If everything remains fine, we should be attempting to clear the road by the evening. We are keeping our fingers crossed about the landslides”.thousands of trucks have been stranded on the highway from the valley side, he said. “Some 4,000 vehicles, many of them fruit laden trucks, are stranded,” he said.in Srinagar, residents thronged the weekly flea market to buy essentials for the winter as the sky cleared.
“I think this winter is going to be quite harsh as we experienced snowfall from the beginning of November. People used to prepare for the coming winter early but this year we saw shops and businesses closed for months after August 5 decisions.
SHIMLA EXPERIENCES FRESH SNOWFALL
The state capital again received mild snow on Sunday afternoon with minimum temperature dipping to 0.9° C. This was second snowfall of the season in the Queen of the Hills.
The weather took a sudden turn in the afternoon as the hill town experienced a fresh bout around 3pm. Tourists were seen rejoicing at The Mall and The Ridge, the most popular sights in the state capital, during the afternoon.the district administration has issued an advisory to the tourists to avoid venturing into snow-bound areas besides travelling during the night due to slippery roads. Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) buses are plying within Shimla town and are being diverted via Basantpur and Sunni to reach Rampur Bushahr.
At least 30 link roads remain blocked in the district and men and machinery have been pressed into service for road clearance. All the main roads, including Shimla to Theog, Shimla, to Chopal, Shimla to Rohru, Shimla to Rampur Bushahr, have been cleared but remain slippery due to frequent snow and rain. Famous tourist destinations Manali Dalhousie and Kufri recorded minimum temperature of -2.2° C, -0.3° C and -2.6°C, respectively.
Rainfall occurred at isolated places across the state while the higher reaches received a fresh spell of snow during the last 24 hours, said Singh.