Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand receive more snowfall, traffic movement affected

The states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, received more snowfall on Sunday leading to blockage of various roads and hampering traffic movement.

Surface and air links between the Kashmir Valley and rest of the country were snapped while Srinagar witnessed snowfall in November for the first time since 2009. "In the last two decades, it was only the fourth time that it has snowed in Srinagar in November with 2009, 2008 and 2004 being the earlier instances," an official of the MeT Department had said. 

The Jammu-Srinagar national highway was opened for one-way traffic, a day after being closed due to heavy snowfall and landslides, and over 700 stranded commuters were rescued overnight from the Jawahar tunnel area, officials said. The only all-weather road linking the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country was opened for traffic coming from Srinagar to Jammu after nine hours of clearance operations, they said.

The operation along the Jawahar tunnel and Qazigund and Banihal-Ramban stretches was launched around 5 am on Sunday, said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ramban, Anita Sharma. 

In a major overnight rescue operation, over 700 stranded passengers were evacuated from both sides of the Jawahar tunnel, a police spokesman said. The SSP said they were Jammu-bound commuters and were rescued from the Kashmir-side of the tunnel and the Verinag Zing area, where more than one feet of snow had accumulated. 

The evacuated people, including tourists, were accommodated in shelter sheds, religious places and sarais in Banihal's Nowgam and Gund areas, and in Qazigund, he said. In addition, 1,000 civilians, who were stuck in other parts of the highway, were also provided food and shelter in Banihal by police and the civil administration, the spokesman said. The SSP said stranded passengers who were evacuated from the Jawahar tunnel area and brought to Banihal late Saturday night, were allowed to move towards Jammu on Sunday.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik Sunday took stock of the situation arising due to heavy snowfall and ordered immediate restoration of essential services such as road connectivity and electricity in the affected areas. Malik directed the administration to expedite efforts to mitigate the difficulties of people and meet their requirements in view of the inclement weather conditions, an official spokesman said.

Regarding the restoration of road connectivity, the governor was told that all inter-district roads have been restored and the Srinagar-Jammu highway has been opened, he said.

The power supply was restored on Sunday to 90 per cent of Srinagar city and most rural areas of the Kashmir Valley after overnight heavy snowfall damaged transmission towers and snapped surface and air links with the rest of India. After an unprecedented Valley-wide breakdown, electricity supply was restored in 90 per cent areas of Srinagar and in nearly 70 per cent rural areas, officials said. Hashmat Qazi, the Chief Engineer (Electric Maintenance) of Kashmir, said electricity supply would be restored everywhere within hours.

Record-breaking snowfall has thrown life out of gear in Doda and adjoining districts in Chenab Valley with farmers and orchardists fearing huge financial losses. The local meteorological department has figures for only 20 years after its establishment and such a heavy snowfall in the first week of November had happened for the first time in the past two decades, said meteorologist Ramesh Sharma. Locals claim such a heavy snowfall has happened in the areas after more than four decades, catching them unprepared for the ensuing winter.

The snowfall in the inhabited areas, ranging from three inches to over three feet, was recorded in different areas of the district, forcing a closure of Bhadarwah-Basohli highway, Kishtwar-Sinthan Top road and Bhadarwah-Chamba interstate road while many far-flung areas got cut-off, officials said. The people complained about drinking water scarcity and virtual breakdown of electricity in the majority of the villages.

In the hills of Uttarakhand, snowfall has also blocked various roads in the state. Visuals of fresh snowfall in Pithoragarh and snow-clearing work at Kedarnath were released by ANI. Overnight snowfall in hills and showers in the lower areas of Uttarakhand added to chill across the state and brought boulders onto the roads at various places, blocking them.

Snowfall was witnessed at the Manali hills in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday with the minimum temperature recorded at 2.8 degrees Celsius, according to the weather office. "Hills overlooking Manali, including the Solang ski slopes, experienced moderate spells of snow in the past 24 hours," an official at the meteorological office.

The Rohtang Pass, located at an altitude of 13,050 feet and 52 km from Manali, has accumulated a fair amount of snow, hampering the movement of traffic towards the Lahaul Valley. He said picturesque Kalpa, some 250 km from Shimla, experienced 21.2 cm of snow. "High-altitude areas of Lahaul and Spiti, Chamba, Kullu and Kinnaur districts had experienced snow," the official said.

Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest in the state with a low of minus 2.1 degrees Celsius, while it was minus 0.6 degrees in Kalpa, 9.8 degrees in Dharamsala and 7.9 degrees in the state capital Shimla. As news of the snowfall flashed across the plains, tourists started arriving at Manali and the nearby hills.

The state`s lower areas, including Dharamsala, Solan, Nahan, Chamba and Mandi have been experiencing cold climatic conditions after rainfall. The weatherman said the weather would now remain dry as the western disturbances receded from the region.