Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Jan 9: Despite intermittent snowfall in Jawahar Tunnel and Patnitop areas, Jammu-Srinagar National Highway to-day re-opened for traffic after over 1200 stranded vehicles were cleared yesterday and cold wave intensified in Valley with temperature in Gulmarg plummeting to lowest in last four years.
It was intermittently snowing during the day at Patnitop and Jawahar Tunnel areas. However, all the Srinagar bound Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) and passenger vehicles and Jammu bound passenger vehicles were cleared by the Traffic Police.
As the road is narrow due to heavy snowfall, Senior Superintendent of Police Traffic, Kashmir, Fayaz Ahmad Lone told Excelsior that tomorrow HMVs will ply from Srinagar to Jammu and Light Motor Vehicles on both the sides.
He said that subject to fair weather and good condition of road, the HMVs including Tankers and convoys of Army, BSF, CRPF shall be allowed to ply from Srinagar towards Jammu only. “Movement of all such type of vehicles shall be allowed from Levdora, Qazigund from 0800 to 1300 hours only”, he said.
The SSP said: “It shall be ensured that no movement of HMVs including that of convoys of Army, BSF, CRPF etc. shall be allowed from Jammu towards Srinagar side on 10.01.2017 under any circumstances.”
“In order to facilitate the passengers, movement of LMVs and light passenger vehicles (excluding Tempo Traveller and buses) shall be allowed both ways. The movement of these vehicles shall be allowed from Nagrota, Jammu towards Srinagar side from 0530 hours up to 1100 hours and at Udhampur up to 1230 hours only.
Similarly, movement of all such type of vehicles from Srinagar towards Jammu side shall be allowed at Levdora, Qazigund from 0830 hours up to 1300 hours only. Strict implementation of cut off timings shall be ensured for hassle free movement of traffic on NHW”, said the SSP.
He said that the movement of Doda, Kishtwar bound LMVs, light passenger vehicles (excluding Tempo Traveller/buses) after proper verification from the passengers shall be allowed from Nagrota, Jammu up to 1300 hours and at Udhampur uoto 1430 hours beyond which no movement of such vehicles shall be allowed.
In the meantime, cold wave tightened its grip in Kashmir as many places experienced the coldest night of the season with ski-resort of Gulmarg recording the lowest temperature in January in the last five years.
The night temperature across the Valley and Leh region, except Kokernag, dipped by several degrees as the cold wave tightened its grip after few days of respite due to snowfall last week.
Gulmarg in North Kashmir recorded the minimum temperature of minus 12.4 degrees Celsius, down nearly five degrees from the previous night’s minus 7.6 degrees Celsius. It was the lowest night temperature at the resort in the month of January since 2012. In 2012, Gulmarg recorded the lowest night temperature in the month on January 13, when the mercury settled at minus 16.5 degrees Celsius. Thereafter, the mercury has not dropped below minus 12.0 degrees Celsius at the resort till last night.
Pahalgam, in South Kashmir, also experienced the season’s lowest night temperature at minus 9.2 degrees Celsius, down six degrees from minus 3.2 degrees Celsius the previous night, the MeT official said.
Kargil was another place, which recorded the coldest night of the season so far with a low of minus 12.2 degrees Celsius. Leh recorded a minimum temperature of minus 11.4 degrees Celsius.
Srinagar city recorded minimum temperature of minus 2.3 degrees Celsius, Qazigund a minus 2.0 degrees Celsius, Kupwara recorded a minus 3.6 degrees Celsius and Kokernag minus 2.8 degrees Celsius.
Jammu recorded a minimum of 4.5 degree Celsius, Katra 4.6 degree Celsius, Banihal minus 0.6 degree Celsius, Batote 0.7 degree Celsius and Bhaderwah minus 1.9 degree Celsius.
Srinagar recorded a maximum of 4.5 degree Celsius, Qazigund 4.8 degree Celsius, Pahalgam 3.8 degree Celsius, Kokernag 2.2 degree Celsius, Kupwara 7.2 degree Celsius, Gulmarg minus 5.0 degree Celsius, Leh 0.5 degree Celsius and Kargil 2.6 degree Celsius.
Jammu recorded a maximum of 17.9 degree Celsius, Katra 14.3 degree Celsius, Banihal 7.5 degree Celsius, Batote 6.2 degree Celsius and Bhaderwah 6.2 degree Celsius.
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