Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Jan 3: The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway that was re-opened this morning for traffic after three days due to heavy snowfall was closed this evening due to sinking of a portion of the Highway near Chenani.
IGP Traffic, Muneer Ahmad Khan, told Excelsior that the highway was closed for traffic this evening due to sinking of around 500 metres of the National Highway near Chenani.
The IGP said that work on restoration of the Highway is going on war footing so as to restore as quickly as possible. He said that first priority is to at least make this patch of highway ready for the movement of Light Mortar Vehicles.
Khan said that if the portion of the Highway is restored by tomorrow morning and weather permits, the traffic will ply from Srinagar to Jammu tomorrow. “No vehicle will be allowed to move from Jammu to Srinagar”, he added.
The IGP said that this morning traffic was allowed to ply from Jammu to Srinagar after the highway was cleared of snow and the stranded vehicles were cleared yesterday. He said that due to slippery road conditions at several places, the movement of the traffic was slow. He said that around 1700 vehicles crossed into Kashmir valley today.
Khan said that no vehicle was allowed from Srinagar to Jammu to avoid any traffic jam or accident as snow is present on both sides of the highway at several places.
Reports said that the passengers had to face hardships due to long traffic jams on highway as the highway is slippery. The traffic was moving with snail’s pace and there was traffic jams at several places for hours together on the Highway.
The highway was closed on December 31 following heavy snowfall at Lower Munda, Jawahar Tunnel, Banihal, Shaitan Nallah and Patnitop areas and was re-opened for traffic this morning.
In the meantime, weather in Kashmir valley will remain dry for next four days. However, higher reaches might receive snowfall.
Director Meteorological Department, Sonam Lotus, said here that though the weather will remain cold and cloudy, there would be no rain or snowfall in the Valley at least for the next four days.
And Kashmir valley is in the grip of cold with night temperatures continued to be subzero.
The MET Department Official said that Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 1.6 degree Celsius, as against the previous night’s minus 2.1 degree Celsius. The maximum temperature was recorded at 3 degree Celsius.
The minimum temperature in Pahalgam in South Kashmir increased by over four degrees to settle at a low of minus 7.8 degree Celsius compared to minus 12.2 degree Celsius the previous night. The maximum temperature was recorded at 2 degree Celsius.
Kargil recorded the season’s coldest night so far as mercury plunged over eight degrees from the previous night’s minus 11.6 degree Celsius to settle at a low of minus 19.8 degree Celsius last night
Leh recorded an increase of one degree in the night temperature as the minimum settled at minus 14.2 degree Celsius against the previous night’s minus 15.3 degree Celsius.
The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg registered a low of minus 11.0 degree Celsius, same as the previous night. The minimum temperature recorded in Qazigund was minus 3.8 degree Celsius, one degree down from the previous night’s minus 2.8 degree Celsius. Kokernag, in South, recorded a low of minus 6.1 degree Celsius as against minus 6.4 degree Celsius the previous night.
The minimum in Kupwara, in North Kashmir, increased by over three degrees to settle at a low of minus 0.9 degree Celsius compared to the previous night’s minus 4.4 degrees Celsius.
Jammu recorded maximum of 19.7 degree Celsius and minimum of 3.7 degree Celsius.
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