NH blocked after boulder hits Sumo, 3 hurt
Gopal Sharma
SRINAGAR/JAMMU, Jan 11: The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was temporarily blocked after boulder hit a Tata Sumo vehicle, causing serious injuries to 3 passengers in Ramsu area this evening while the fringes of the Dal lake and several other water bodies in Kashmir froze as the Valley continued to reel under cold-wave conditions today, whereas, the record minimum temperature at Bhaderwah town of Jammu region continued to settle four notches below the freezing point on the second consecutive day.
Official sources said that traffic on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was suspended when shooting stones hit a Tata Sumo vehicle JK19/5960 at Mompassi in Ramsu area of Ramban sector at around 7 pm. The ill-fated vehicle was on way to Banihal from Jammu.
The injured passengers- Sajad Ahmed; Mohd Ashraf, son of Abdul Rashid and Mohd Ashraf Daing, son of Ahmedullah Daing from Neel village were rushed to PHC Ramsu and then referred to DH Ramban. A major tragedy was averted as immediately after this more boulders fell on the road but the police authorities stalled the movement of vehicles at this dangerous stretch. Due to darkness and frequent shooting stones, the clearance operation could not be launched.
SSP Traffic, National Highway, JS Johar said that due to snow storm in Shaitani Nallah area and slippery road conditions late this evening, the movement of heavy vehicles in Jawahar Tunnel area has been affected. As precautionary measures, the movement of vehicles was needed to be suspended till the conditions improve there. There was light rain and the snowfall on Pir Panchal and the Traffic Police department was closely monitoring the situation.
Johar said there were large number of stranded heavy vehicles in Udhampur, Dhar Road and Nagrota –Jammu Bypass area. They were being cleared for Kashmir. But Batote-Doda- Kishtwar Road was operational.
Meanwhile, cold conditions also prevailed in the Jammu region, where the minimum temperature plummeted several degrees below normal.
A MeT official has predicted light rain or snow in Kashmir over the next 24 hours and said there is possibility of widespread snow from Sunday. He also forecast light snowfall at the higher reaches of Jammu region and light rain tomorrow and also on Monday.
The official said that in Srinagar mercury went down by three degrees from Friday’s low of minus 1.9 degrees Celsius to settle at minus 5.0 degrees Celsius. He said the drop in the night temperature led to the freezing of the fringes of Dal lake and other water bodies as well as water supply lines.
The minimum temperature at Gulmarg in North Kashmir was minus 12.6 degrees Celsius, slightly up from minus 13.0 degrees the previous day. Kupwara registered a minimum of minus 6.3 degree Celsius. In Pahlagam minimum temperature increased slightly to minus 11.5 degrees Celsius, while it was minus 7.6 degrees in Qazigund, down from minus 3.4 degrees the previous night.
Leh recorded a minimum temperature of minus 18.2 degrees Celsius, while it was minus 29.1 degrees at Drass in Kargil district.
Kashmir is currently under the grip of ‘Chillai-Kalan’ — the 40-day harshest period of winter that began on December 21 and ends on January 31. It is followed by a 20-day-long ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).
The winter capital- Jammu recorded a low of 3.9 degrees Celsius — 3.1 notches below the season’s average, the MeT official said.
He said Bhaderwah in Doda district was the coldest recorded place in Jammu region with a minimum of minus 4.0 degrees Celsius against the previous night’s minus 5.1 degrees Celsius.
Banihal in Ramban district recorded a minimum temperature of minus 1.6 degrees Celsius, while Batote town was reeling under minus 0.1 degrees, whereas, minimum temperature in Katra town of Reasi district settled at 4.0 degrees Celsius, he added.
The official further said that another spell of moderate-high intensity snowfall is most likely across Kashmir valley and upper reaches of Jammu region during Saturday night to Sunday night.
Moderate rain is also expected in Jammu region and light-to-moderate snow is expected over Ladakh till Monday, the official added.
Soldier missing in Gulmarg
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Jan 11: An Army soldier has gone missing after he slipped near forward post in North Kashmir’s Gulmarg sector early this week.
Rajinder Singh Negi of Garwal Regiment of Srmy from Uttarakhand slipped at a forward post in Gulmarg near the Line of Control four days ago and fell in a ravine. Army has launched a massive operation to trace him out but so far they couldn’t.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
