Fayaz Bukhari/ Gopal Sharma
SRINAGAR/ JAMMU, Jan 22: Entire Kashmir Valley and many parts of Jammu region experienced heavy rain and snowfall of the season throwing life out of gear and plunging many areas under darkness, whereas, Jammu- Srinagar National Highway has been closed following land slides at many places and closure of Jawahar Tunnel due to massive snow.
Weatherman said this spell is the heaviest one recorded in January in the last 10 years and issued heavy snowfall warning in the region for next 12 hours. It has disrupted the train and air traffic in entire Kashmir valley.
Two persons were buried alive in a house collapse in Kud area of Udhampur due to heavy rain while seven flights to Srinagar were cancelled due accumulation of heavy snow at Srinagar airport.
Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah today said that Government is monitoring the weather situation and has kept teams ready to restore electricity and connectivity.
“People must accept that it is difficult to restore electricity and connectivity while it is still snowing. The situation is being monitored,” Omar posted on micro-blogging site Twitter. “I recognise the disruption that heavy snowfall causes. Teams are on standby and will swing into action as soon as the snowfall eases”, he added.
The Director Meteorological Department in Srinagar, Sonam Lotus, told Excelsior that this is the heaviest snowfall in the past 10 years in January. He also issued a heavy snowfall warning for next 12 hours.
The Weatherman asked the people near mountains to exhibit caution in view of the threat of avalanches and snow-slides due to heavy snowfall. He, however, said that weather will start improvement in the afternoon tomorrow.
Residents in Kashmir valley woke up to heavy snowfall this morning, struck inside their houses as roads were covered with snow and no electricity.
Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal recorded one feet snow, Baramulla six inches, Sopore seven inches, Gulmarg two feet, Pahalgam 2.5 feet, Anantnag, Kulgam, Kokernag around two feet, Banihal 1.5 feet, Zojila three feet, Gurez three feet and Jawahar Tunnel around three feet of snow.
Heavy snowfall closed the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway despite efforts by the Border Roads Organization (BRO) to clear the highway of snow.
Chief Engineer, Project Beacon of BRO, Brig R K Sharma, told the Excelsior that snow clearance operation was started at 6 a.m. today. He said that despite heavy snowfall and avalanche threat the BRO men and machinery was clearing the snow from the National Highway. “However, the snow clearance was stopped in the evening as the weather showed no respite and it was snowing heavily”, he added.
Sharma said that nearly 3.5 feet snow was recorded near Jawahar Tunnel and it was snowing in the evening and there was threat of avalanches and snow clearance operation was suspended for the night. “The snow clearance will resume once the weather improves in the morning”, he added.
Inspector General of Police Traffic, Muneer Ahmad Khan told the Excelsior that there will be no traffic movement on the National Highway tomorrow as it is heavily snowing in Jawahar Tunnel area.
The IGP said that in view of forecast of heavy snowfall, around 4000 vehicles were cleared yesterday towards Srinagar and the passenger vehicles from Qazigund were also allowed to move towards Jammu last evening.
The IGP said that the continuous rains along the Highway have triggered land slides between Ramban, Ramsu and Banihal at few places and BRO are on job to clear them.
The BRO men started snow clearance from Srinagar Airport early in the morning but could not make it operational due to continuous snowfall. “The snow clearance continued throughout the day but it could not be made operational due to continuous snowfall. We will clear the snow from the airport during the night to make it operational tomorrow”, said Beacon Chief Engineer.
The rail service between Banihal in Jammu and Baramulla in North Kashmir also remained suspended as the railway tracks were covered with snow and roads leading to Railway Stations were also buried under snow. The snowfall plunged Kashmir valley into darkness with majority of the distribution lines developing snags.
A PDD official said that due to snowfall there has been power breakdown throughout Valley but they are making efforts to restore it. The breakdown of the electricity started from last night only as snowfall started. The power supply remained disrupted even in the posh colonies of Srinagar including Jawahar Nagar, Rajbagh, Gogjibagh, Peer Bagh, Hyderpora, Sanantnagar. However, power supply was restored in certain areas of Srinagar city late in the evening while majority of the Valley is reeling under darkness.
Authorities pressed into service the snow-clearing machines on major roads in Srinagar early in the morning, but most of roads in the Valley remained blocked. The traffic on Srinagar and other roads was skeletal and was moving at snail’s pace due to slippery road conditions.
The heavy snowfall led to collapse of houses at several places and three people, including siblings were injured today as five residential houses collapsed at several places in South Kashmir due to heavy snowfall.
Mohsin, 10, and his four-year-old sister Sabina children of Mohammad Yaqoob Dar of Arwani were injured when their residential house in Arwani village of Anantnag district collapsed due to heavy snowfall.
Four more residential houses belonging to Ghulam Rasool Wani, son of Mohammad Rafiq Wani, Abdul Rashid Ahangar, son of Mohammad Jamal of Dhamal Khushipora,Ghulam Hassan Khanday, son of Habibullah and Mohammad Abdullah, son of Nazim Wani of Hillar Kokernag, also collapsed due to heavy snowfall. One person was injured in the incident of house collapse.
The snowfall, however, brought relief from bone-chilling cold by raising the temperature from last night’s minus 1.7 degree Celsius to 0.2 degree Celsius. The night temperature in Srinagar remained between minus three and four degrees last week.
Kashmir University postponed all examinations scheduled to be held on January 22 and 23 till further announcement due to snowfall that disrupted normal life.
A statement from SMC said that around 2,700 men were deployed since morning in to clear snow from Srinagar roads to restore essential services like hospitals, main Government offices, banks. “Around 21 machines, including robots, skid steers, caterpillars, hoppers and loaders, were pressed into service to ensure people do not face inconvenience while travelling to hospitals”, the statement said.
An official spokesman quoted the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Shalindra Kumar saying that Divisional Administration is fully ready to face challenges posed by heavy snowfall and all necessary arrangements are in place to provide essentials and basic needs to people, particularly during current harsh weather conditions.
The spokesman said that Kumar interacted with people from various walks of life during his extensive visit to various parts of Srinagar city. He went round Lal Chowk, Batmaloo, Karan Nagar, Safa Kadal, Nowhatta, Khanyar and other adjacent areas of Srinagar and reviewed pace of snow clearance work from roads, lanes and bye-lanes.
The spokesman said that Kumar also visited SMHS hospital and SKIMS and took stock of the facilities being made available to the patients. He interacted with attendants, doctors and para-medics and directed them for keeping all emergency services ready.
Official sources said that due to continuous rain and land slides near Samroli in Chenani area and at five other places between Ramban and Banihal, followed by heavy snowfall, the vehicular movement on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway came to grinding halt. The traffic on Udhampur-Batote-Doda-Kishtwar road also came to halt. There was nearly three feet snow in Jawahar tunnel area, one feet at Banihal and Batote while one and half feet at Patnitop and Bhaderwah areas. The electric supply to many areas has been snapped due to rain and snowfall. Even in many parts of Jammu city, there was no power supply through out the night.
Trikuta hills of Mata Vaishnodevi also experienced fresh snowfall but yatra was going on despite rain. The helicopter service to Sanji Chhat from Katra base camp remained suspended today due to bad weather. Thannamandi-Dera Gali- Bafliaz-Surankote, Rajouri-Budhal-Mahore, Reasi-Mahore -Sungri Chasana, Gool Gulabgarh, Dudu- Basantgarh and Basohli Bani roads were also closed due to landslides and snow. Due to massive land slide near Kardoh, about 18 kms short of Bani, about 100 ft road patch has gone down. At Seri near Ramban, mud slides stalled the movement of traffic. Between Ramban and Banihal there were nearly five places where massive land slides have taken place. The BRO men tried to clear the slides but bad weather and rain hampered the road clearance work.
Though there was fresh snowfall in Bhimber Gali and Krishna Ghati area but the road was through this evening. The Army authorities had installed additional snow cutters and dozers and the clearance work was going on despite rain and bad weather, a defence spokesman said.
Meanwhile, reports from Udhampur said that 38-year-old Kali, wife of Ghulam Ali and their 12-year old son, Reyaz Ahmed were buried alive when their muddy house collapsed due to heavy rain last night at village Katwalta in Kud. The family and the villagers extricated the buried bodies in the morning. The police and tehsil administration also reached the site and provided immediate relief to the family.
SP Airport, Jammu Ashok Sharma told the Excelsior that in view of bad weather and heavy accumulation of heavy snow at Srinagar airport, seven Srinagar bound flights were cancelled today. He said the flights between Delhi and Jammu operated normally but could not operate between Jammu-Srinagar and Delhi-Srinagar. The chopper service to Mata Vaishnodevi shrine also remained suspended.
A senior traffic police official disclosed that due to blockade of National Highway and Batote-Doda-Kishtwar road at least one thousand vehicles including light, medium and heavy passenger vehicles, trucks and load carriers were stranded at various places. He said a large number of vehicles have been stranded at Samba and Nud, Dayala Chak -Chhallan Road, Dhar Road, Udhampur Jakheni-Bye Pass Road, Nagrota Bye Pass, Ramban, Batote, Chanderkote and Banihal area.
Meanwhile, an official spokesman said that all the sectoral officers of Kashmir division have been directed to ensure snow clearance, restoration of power and water supply within the shortest possible time in view of the heavy snowfall experienced in Valley. The instructions were issued by B B Vyas, the Principal Secretary to Chief Minister during a video conferencing to get the first hand information about the status of snow clearance, restoration efforts for power and other essential services being carried out by the Divisional administration.
The video conferencing was also attended by Principal Secretary Home Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary PDD A K Mehta, Commissioner/ Secretary PHE Dr Pawan Kotwal and Secretary Health Gazanfar Hussain. In Kashmir it was attended by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Shalender Kumar,Political secretary to Chief Minister Tanveer Sadiq, Chief Engineers of PDD, PHE and R&B besides other officers from various departments.
Mr Vyas while asking the officers to personally monitor the snow clearance, power restoration, water and other services, directed for control rooms and help lines set up for the purpose to be proactive in all respects so that they are responsive to the public grievances and address the same within the shortest possible time. The officers were also asked to ensure the availability of LPG and other essentials so that people do not face inconvenience.
Follow our WhatsApp channel