Kashmir plunges into darkness

Fayaz Bukhari

Srinagar, March 11: Kashmir valley experience unprecedented snowfall today, cutting off the Valley from rest of the country due to closure of Srinagar-Jammu National Highway and Srinagar International Airport and plunged entire Kashmir valley into darkness due to power failure.

The heavy snowfall has led to water logging in entire Srinagar city and major towns, with major city roads inundated under over one feet water at most of the places.

Following the heavy snowfall, the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) issued high danger avalanche warning in the hills of the Kashmir division and parts of Jammu division after heavy snowfall.

A spokesman of the Jammu and Kashmir State Disaster Management Authority on the basis of SASE report issued High Danger avalanche warning for hilly areas of Uri, Tangdhar, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam, Budgam, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora and Kargil.

“People living in these snowbound areas have been requested to take precautions and not to venture on steep slopes. The warning is valid for the next 24 hours”, the spokesman said.

The Division Administration closed down the all the schools in Kashmir division upto March 12 following unprecedented snowfall. The University of Kashmir also postponed all examinations that were scheduled for March 10 and 11.

In-charge Director Meteorological Department Srinagar, Farooq Ahma Khan, told Excelsior that snow and rains will continue to lash Kashmir valley and Jammu till March 12 evening. He, however, said that major activity of snow and rains caused by western disturbance has ended and their intensity has started decreasing now.

Khan said that Srinagar experienced 14 inches of snow since March 10, Qazigund 11 inches, Pahalgam over 3 feet, Kupwara 14 inches, Kokernag 8 inches, Banihal 15 inches, Gulmarg over 4 feet, Bhaderwah and Batote around 2 inches.

The heavy snowfall led to water logging of most parts of Srinagar city.  The roads in Jawahar Nagar, Tulshibagh, Rajbagh, Gogjibagh, Batmaloo, Lal Chowk, Residency road, Bemina, Qamarwari, Peer Bagh, Hyderpora, old city  and several other localities were waterlogged causing problems for the movement of pedestrians and traffic. At majority of these places the roads were under around one feet of water leading to traffic jams.

There was a huge traffic jam this evening at Mehjoor Nagar Bund where from the traffic has been diverted due to construction of Rambagh-Jehanghir Chowk flyover. One of the commuters said that it took him four hours to reach Chanpora from Lal Chowk which normally takes around 15 minutes. He said that there was no traffic management and no body from police to assist the commuters who were in traffic jam for about four hours in freezing cold.

The continuous snowfall cut off most of the hilly areas while the divisional administration restored major roads in Srinagar city and other towns and district roads. Most of the people stayed indoors and traffic movement on roads was skeletal.

The continuous snowfall led to the major power breakdown in Kashmir valley plunging majority of the areas under darkness since last night.

The Chief Engineer Power Development Department (PDD), Bashir Ahmad Khan, told Excelsior that the department restored Wagoora-Zainakote transmission line this evening. He, however, said that Budgam line is down as three towers of the line were damaged due to snowfall.

Khan said that the department restored power to half of the city at around 3 p.m. today but more snowfall led to faults of local distribution lines. He said that once the snow stops, it will take department three hours to restore power. “Our men are working round the clock to restore the electricity”, he added.

The Srinagar-Jammu National highway remained close for traffic today due to heavy snowfall and landslides triggered by heavy rains.

Inspector General of Police, Traffic, Muneer Ahmad Khan told Excelsior that two feet snow had accumulated at Jawahar Tunnel and massive slides at Battery Chesma and Panthal blocked the national highway. He said that last night the traffic police managed to clear the Srinagar bound traffic from the highway but some local vehicles are stranded on the highway between Batote and Banihal.

Khan said that if weather permits, traffic will be allowed to ply from Srinagar to Jammu tomorrow. He advised the commuters to contact the Traffic Control Room Srinagar before undertaking journey on the highway.

Srinagar International Airport also remained shut today due to heavy snowfall and bad weather. No flight landed or took off from the airport as runway and tarmac was buried under snow. Normally 22 flights operate form Srinagar airport daily carrying around 6000 passengers.

The Superintendent of Railways, Mohammad Zaid, said here that train services between Banihal and Baramulla remained unaffected due to snowfall, but there was some delay in the morning. “Despite heavy snow trains serve movement remained operational with minor delays in timings. Three trains – 7:10 am, 1:28pm and 5:05 pm left from Banihal. Similarly three trains from Baramulla to Budgam – 8 am, 11:15am and 1:45 pm – have reached destination”, he added.

In the meantime, Police and civil administration today shifted 48 family members of 10 families from Waltangoo Naar to Vasik Nag in Qazigund area of South Kashmir district of Kulgam. “These 48 persons including children, women and old have been shifted to safer place in view of the heavy snowfall”, a police spokesman said here this evening.

The spokesman said that in another rescue operation Shopian Police along with Army rescued 10 members of two families from Maspora in Kellar area from the houses which were cut off from the main village.

“Two families of Iqbal and Qasim Gujjar of Mastpora Keller consisting 5 members each were rescued from Mastpora by Shopian Police along with 10 cattle. The families were shifted to the houses of Sarpanches of Moshwara and Mastpora. One more family of Yousuf Ganie from Dublipora Wachi was rescued and shifted to another house in the village”, the police spokesman said.

Police, army and Border Roads Organization (BRO) today carried out rescue operation to clear land slides from Uri-Aman Setu portion of Srinagar-Muzaffarbad road where 16 passengers of Karvan-e-Aman bus had taken shelter in an army post due to massive land slide near Red bridge yesterday afternoon. “After hectic efforts the Uri- Kaman Post road was cleared braving all odds and the bus carrying passengers was safely made to cross the shooting stone zone this morning”, a police spokesman said here.

The unprecedented snowfall in March led to major damage to orchards in Kashmir as trees have been uprooted at several places across Kashmir. There are also reports of damage to over two dozen house due to snowfall.

ENDS