Weather improves in Kashmir, Jammu
Gopal Sharma/ Fayaz Bukhari
JAMMU, Feb 21: The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained closed for the third consecutive day due to massive landslides and mudslides in Ramban and Banihal sectors while the flight service improved in Srinagar and Jammu with the improvement in weather today.
Official sources said that highway was partially restored at around 2 pm today to clear the stranded, mostly light motor vehicles in Ramban area but suddenly landslides took place at Kishtwari Pathar near Shelgari in Banihal at around 3.20 pm and the highway was again blocked. The road was blocked at yet another point near Chambalwas in Banihal with the falling of boulders in the afternoon.
SSP Traffic National Highway Rohit Baskotra said that the National Highway was opened for one-way traffic this afternoon after remaining closed for the past two days due to multiple landslides in Ramban sector. He said no movement of vehicles from Udhampur, Jammu or Qazigund side was allowed today. Only stranded, mostly, passenger vehicles were allowed to move. But hardly 50 percent of the stranded vehicles in the area were cleared, when the landslides at Kishtwari Pather near Banihal followed by another one at Chambalwas blocked the highway.
Baskotra said the National Highway Authorities have claimed to clear the road by at least four hours if the weather remained fair. He said the rain has again started in the area and shooting stones at 2-3 places have posed threat to the lives of the commuters. It will be highly risky to allow passenger vehicles during night hours. Out of nearly 450 vehicles stranded in the area hardly 150 could be cleared and the remaining are still stranded, while some LMVs came back to the town.
He said the road is single at many places including Dalwas, Mehad, Cafeteria and Chmbalwas and some other places. It has created jamming at many places as well. The passenger vehicle operators were asked to move back to Srinagar or Jammu. The highway is expected to open tomorrow, if weather improved, the SSP said.
Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, Baseer-Ul-Haq when contacted said that he along with SSP National Highway visited several sites up to Banihal and supervised the clearance operation. The DC said he also spoke to Project Director National Highway Authorities and asked to restore the highway on war footing. He said the highway will be cleared by next 4-5 hours but due to rain the shooting of stones from the hills it will be very risky and dangerous to allow movement of vehicles during night. He said after taking fresh review, the movement of the vehicles will be allowed tomorrow morning. Moreover, internal link roads up to 80 % have also been restored in the district.
It may be recalled that vehicular traffic was suspended on Monday morning after landslides and shooting of stones from the hillocks hit the highway at over a dozen places in Ramban sector. The officials said the operations to clear the debris from Dalwas, Peerha, Mehad, Cafeteria Morh, Jaiswal bridge, Trishul Morh, Seri, Mom Passi, Gangroo, Hingni, Marog, Kishtwari Pather, Shalghari, Ramperi and Chambalwas were hampered by incessant rains and snowfall.
With improvement in weather this morning, the concerned road clearance agencies mobilized more men and machines and managed to partially open the highway for one-way traffic this afternoon, paving the way for clearance of the stranded vehicles between Nashri and Banihal.
Due to continuous inclement weather and warning of possible snow avalanches by JKDMA, District administration Doda ordered closure of all the educational institutions for the day on Wednesday.
After two months of winter vacations, the educational institutions, which were supposed to reopen today, keeping in view the safety of teachers and students were deferred for the day as snowfall continued in additional district Bhaderwah, Sub divisions Gandoh and parts of Thathri beside higher reaches of Doda for the third day.
ADC Bhaderwah Sunil Kumar said that DC Doda Harvinder Singh has ordered that all the schools should remain closed as a precautionary measure following torrential rains in the plains and snow fall in higher reaches. The ADC appealed that people should avoid to venture near avalanche prone areas.
Meanwhile, the J&K Disaster Management Authorities (DMA) on Wednesday issued an avalanche warning in the higher reaches of nine districts during the next 24 hours.
An official said that avalanche of `low danger’ level is likely to occur at 2200 metres above sea level in the higher reaches of Anantnag and Kulgam districts of south Kashmir. Avalanche with `medium danger’ level is likely to occur above 2400 metres over Bandipora and Baramulla districts of North Kashmir during the next 24 hours.
An avalanche with `high danger’ level is likely to occur above 2200 metres over Kupwara in North Kashmir and Ganderbal in Central Kashmir and Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch and Ramban districts of Jammu division in the next 24 hours, he added.
People living in these areas have been advised to take precautions and avoid venturing in the avalanche prone areas till further orders.
Upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir received moderate to heavy snowfall during the past several days prompting authorities to issue a fresh avalanche warning as a precautionary measure for the people today. The authorities have also asked the people living in these districts to dial 112 for help in case of any emergency.
Reports from Srinagar said that after snowfall and rains for the last two days, weather improved today with minimum temperatures plummeting at most places in the region and day temperatures showing improvement.
The weatherman has forecast improvement in weather in the region from today.””No significant weather activity is expected till February 27,” he added. Srinagar recorded a low of minus 0.0°C against minus 0.7°C the previous night, Qazigund recorded a minimum of 0.0°C, same as the previous night.
Pahalgam a low of minus 1.6°C against minus 0.5°C the previous night, Kokernag minus 3.4°C against 0.3°C the previous night, while Kupwara recorded a low of minus 0.4°C, same as the previous night and it was 0.1°C below normal there.
Srinagar recorded a maximum of 6.7 degree Celsius temperature today which was 3.6 degree Celsius below normal, Qazigund 4.6 degree Celsius which was 5.2 degree Celsius below normal, Pahalgam 3.5 deg C which is 3.4 degree Celsius below normal, Kupwara 7.6 degree C while Gulmarg recorded a maximum of minus 0.2 degree Celsius which is 0.9 degree Celsius below normal for the place during this time of the year.
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