Temp falls in Jammu, Kashmir; Gulmarg coldest at -12 deg C
Gopal Sharma/Fayaz Bukhari
JAMMU/ SRINAGAR, Jan 16: The vehicular traffic on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was suspended for about four hours after a steel tunnel at Panthyal near Ramban suffered massive damage due to falling of boulders today while night temperature has shown sharp fall in Kashmir and Jammu during last couple of days.
Official sources said that hundreds of vehicles on both sides were stranded after the closure of busy highway at around 11.30 am today. During movement of vehicles, suddenly shooting stones and falling of big boulders started at the dangerous Panthyal point on the highway. The boulders caused massive damage to the steel tunnel as its several big girders fell down and also broken. However, there was miraculous escape for the passengers of a Tempo Traveler and a private car.
The steel tunnel has been constructed at this point to provide protection to the vehicles and people on board, from shooting stones. The rescue operation could not be carried for some time as the frequent falling of stones continued there.
Click here to watch viedeo
Later, the expert team of the National Highway authorities with steel cutters was engaged at work and the damaged portion of the tunnel was repaired. The movement of the vehicles could be restored after about four hours, a senior police official at Ramban said.
SP, Mohita Sharma said that men and machinery of the NH authorities were pressed into service and after several disruptions due to frequent shooting stones, the highway was restored for traffic. She said for the stranded vehicles’ one way movement was allowed at this point taking all precautions. The light and heavy vehicles are being allowed to move, she added.
Meanwhile, a MeT official said that sharp fall in Jammu’s temperature has been witnessed for the last three days while day temperature has shown a little rise. He said Jammu experienced 4.1 degree C night temperature and it is expected to further drop within next couple of days. Chatha observatory of SKUAST has shown night temperature even below 2 degree C today.
Holy township of Katra Mata Vaishnodevi recorded a night temperature of 4.5 degree C, Bhaderwah town -1.0 deg C, Batote -1.4 deg C and Banihal town -1.5 degree C temperature. He predicted dry weather during next two days in Jammu region.
Meanwhile, with the improvement in foggy weather condition, there was not much impact on the operation of lights at Jammu airport. Only two morning flights were a little delayed while rest of the operation was normal, an official at Jammu Airport said.
A Northern Railway spokesman said that several trains arrived as per their scheduled time at Jammu station today while operation of hardly five trains was delayed by one hour to five hours. Since there has been improvement in foggy weather condition in the northern region for the last couple of days, therefore, the train operation has also improved with it, the spokesman added.
Meanwhile, minimum temperatures plunged in Kashmir today with Gulmarg recording season’s coldest night at minus 12.0°C.
A Meteorological Department official said that Srinagar recorded a low of minus 1.9°C against last night’s minus 0.6°C. Today’s minimum temperature was 0.2°C above normal for the city.
Qazigund recorded a low of minus 5.6°C against minus 0.7°C the previous night and it was 2.3°C below normal for the town.
Pahalgam recorded a low of minus 10.2°C against minus 10.9°C the previous night which was the coldest night recorded this season at the resort. Today’s minimum temperature was 3.0°C below normal for the place.
Kokernag recorded a low of minus 6.6°C against minus 1.4°C the previous night. Besides being 2.7°C below normal for the place, the temperature was the lowest recorded this season there.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 12.0°C against minus 10.4°C the previous night. While the mercury was 4.3°C below normal, it was the coldest night so far recorded in the skiing resort.
In Kupwara town, the mercury settled at minus 2.9°C against minus 1.3°C the previous night and it was 0.2°C above normal for the town.
Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 14.4°C and minus 21.2°C respectively.
The MeT official said till January 18, weather is likely to be mainly dry and partly cloudy. There is also a possibility of fog in plains of Jammu and Kashmir during morning hours.
“From January 19-21st, weather is likely to be cloudy with chances of light rain/snow over isolated to scattered places mainly over higher reaches,” he said, adding, “From 22nd to 24th, there is possibility of light to moderate rain and snow over plains and moderate snow over middle and higher reaches most likely during 23rd/24th January at most places of J&K.”
Kashmir is under the grip of Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day long harsh winter period that started on December 21 and will end on Jan 30. It is followed by a 20-day-long period called ‘Chillai-Khurd’ that occurs between January 30 and February 19 and a 10-day-long period ‘Chillai-Bacha’ (baby cold) which is from February 20 to March 1.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
