Snowfall continues, cold wave grips region
Gopal Sharma / Fayaz Bukhari
JAMMU/ SRINAGAR, Nov 14: After nine days of the incident of missing of a truck along with its driver and two others, all the three dead bodies were found today under the debris at Battery Chashma landslides near Ramban while cold wave has gripped the entire region as rain and snowfall at the higher reaches continued for last three days in the State.
A Traffic Police official told the Excelsior that traffic on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was disrupted for about two and half hours as fresh landslides created blockade at Shalgarhi near Banihal this afternoon. The one way traffic was later resumed after road clearance. However, it was again stopped as precautionary measures during late this evening because snowfall started in Jawahar Tunnel area and the road became slippery.
Due to continuous rain and snowfall Srinagar-Leh highway besides Mughal Road and Kishtwar-Sinthan Top- Anantanag Road were blocked for the last three days. Fresh heavy snowfall has been experienced today on Pir Panjal, Seoj Dhar and other higher reaches in Kashmir and Ladakh regions. There has been sharp fall in the temperature across the region. Jammu’s temperature has also recorded a sharp fall today and its plain areas have also been gripped by the cold wave.
Meanwhile, a senior police official from Ramban said that bodies of all the three missing persons hailing from Gurdaspur in Punjab were recovered from the debris about 800 feet deep into a nallah at Battery Chashma. The joint team of Police, NDRF/SDRF, local youth supported by local Army unit managed to trace the dead bodies with the help of a JCB on fifth day of their operation. He said a JCB was dropped into the Nallah which made passage up to the land slides site and after third day of spade work, it managed to trace the chassis of the truck and bodies trapped in the wreckage under the debris.
SSP Ramban Anita Sharma supervised the rescue operation.
Sources said first body was traced at around 1 pm, second about two hours later while the third one at around 5.15 pm today. They were uplifted and brought on the road with tough efforts by the rescue team. He said the bodies and the wreckage could be traced with the help of Army drone, which was pressed into service on the request of Civil Administration. Scores of relatives of the deceased persons were already there at the site for the last four- five days and they identified their missing family members.
All the three were identified as Ist driver – Joginder Lal (45), son of Gurbachan Lal and his 19-year-old son, Kashmiri Lal, residents of Malya Khurd, Gurdaspur and second driver Karaz Singh (26), son of Manjeet Singh, resident of Nawapind, Gurdaspur, Punjab. The bodies were shifted to Ramban hospital and then after performing legal formalities handed over to the families for performing their last rites at their home villages in Punjab.
Police said that this truck bearing registration No. PB06AR/4045 loaded with apple boxes was on way to Punjab from Kashmir. The vehicle had met with the accident at around 5 am on November 5. The driver had talked to his family that he will reach Gurdaspur by evening on that fateful day. The cell phone tower locations revealed the same location of the vehicle where connectivity went off and Nashri Tunnel cameras and computer record also indicated that vehicles had not crossed the tunnel. Thereafter, the police started search on the request of owner of the truck who reported them at Ramban Thana on November 7. However, the full fledged operation was launched on November 10.
Meanwhile, higher reaches of Kashmir including world famous Ski-resort of Gulmarg today received fresh snowfall while as the rains lashed the Valley since morning, bringing the temperature further down in the region.
The Meteorological department had predicted rain or snowfall from November 13 and 14 across Kashmir.
The higher reaches of the Valley including the world famous ski-resort, Gulmarg received a fresh snowfall overnight and it was still snowing in the area.
Around six inches snow had accumulated in Gulmarg while surrounding hills had over one feet of snowfall. The higher reaches of North and South Kashmir also had fresh snowfall with Peer Ki Gali having fresh snow accumulation of over one feet.
The Zojila pass had over one feet of fresh snowfall and Sonamarg around 8 inches.
Senior Superintendent of Police Traffic, Muzaffar Ahmad Shah, said that there have been multiple avalanches on the highway in Zojila and once the weather improves it may take few days to clear the highway.
However, the rains lashed plains since the wee hours of morning, thus bringing the temperature further down in the Valley.
Director MeT Sonum Lotus said that the weather conditions across the Valley would improve from Thursday afternoon. He said besides higher reaches, there is possibility of light snowfall in plains as well but the chances are very less. “The weather conditions across the Valley would improve from Thursday afternoon but the weather in the day (Thursday) would remain mostly cloudy and there will be occasional sunshine as well,” he said. He added that there is no forecast of any significant weather till November 21.
Lotus said that though there would be gradual rise in day temperature from tomorrow (Thursday) but the night temperature would go further down by one or two degree Celsius.
Authorities had issued a low-danger avalanche warning for seven districts after fresh snowfall in the higher areas. An official spokesman had said a low-danger avalanche warning was issued for 24 hours in avalanche-prone areas of Bandipora, Baramulla, Anantnag, Kulgam, Budgam, Kupwara and Ganderbal districts in view of fresh snowfall. People of these areas have been asked not to go in the avalanche-prone areas.
Snow as well as the rainfall has also resulted in closure of many roads, including the Srinagar-Leh highway and the Mughal road, which connects the Valley to Poonch-Rajouri region in Jammu division.
Jammu recorded a maximum temperature of 21 degree C which is about seven degrees below normal while the minimum temperature remained 15.2 deg C today. Bhaderwah recorded 11 degree C which is about 10 degree below normal while night temperature at Batote remained 9 degree C below normal. Holy township of Katra recorded a minimum 11.7 degree C temp and maximum 18.2 deg C. A sharp fall in Jammu’s temperature has been recorded today and the cold wave has engulfed the entire region. The higher reaches of Kandi -Budhal in Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Bhaderwah, Kishtwar and Ramban have also experienced fresh snowfall. Moreover, there was no hope of clearance of Mughal Road even tomorrow, a senior official here said.
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