3 hurt as shooting stones hit 2 vehicles
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR/ JAMMU, June 1: Three persons were injured after two vehicles were hit by shooting stones on Jammu-Srinagar national Highway in Ramban area while amidst relentless rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir, data from the Meteorological Department (MeT) revealed that May has emerged as the wettest month in a decade.
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The traffic on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained disrupted for about five hours during the day today due to land/ mud slide in Dalwas area of Ramban. The traffic could be restored at around 2.30 pm. But it remained slippery with very slow movement of vehicles between Nashri and Ramban.
Three persons including a minor and a woman, sustained injuries after shooting stones hit two moving vehicles in Mehar-Cafeteria Morh area of Ramban on Thursday afternoon.
Police sources said an 11-year-old Subhajeet Manna, son of Gourab Manna, resident of Kolkata West Bengal at present Kunjwani Chowk Jammu sustained a head injury after shooting stones hit their private vehicle bearing registration number, WB 12BE-1109 near Mehar slide zone at around 12-30 pm. He was rushed to District Hospital Ramban for treatment.
They said at the same time a rolling boulder fell on a local passenger Auto( Magic Auto) bearing registration No.JK19-0922 resulting injuries to two persons including a woman. They were also evacuated to District Hospital Ramban.
Police identified the injured as Chuni Lal, son of Anat Ram, resident of village Sincha tehsil and district Ramban and Sheetal Devi, wife of Kuljeet Singh, resident of Telimajra in district Ramban.
Sources said other passengers had a miraculous escape as the boulder got stuck on the roof of the passenger Auto.
Eyewitnesses said heavy rain continued in the area when these incidents happened as stones and boulders abruptly started sliding resulting in both the vehicles got stuck in shooting stones on this stretch. The other occupants jumped out from their vehicles to safer places to save their lives. Both vehicles suffered some damage. It is pertained to mention here shooting stones and landslides are occasionally occurring on the Mehar -Cafeteria stretch for a long however for safeguarding the lives of people Government has sanctioned around 900 meters long tunnel under the realignment of the four-lane project on the Udhampur-Ramban stretch.
Meanwhile, MET’s data revealed that May was exceptionally wet this year, with continuous rainfall throughout the month. Kokernag received the highest recorded rainfall of 215 mm, followed closely by Poonch with 203 mm, Gulmarg with 148 mm, and Ramban with 86 mm. Other stations across the Valley also reported over 100 mm of rainfall, except for the Kathua and Kishtiwar districts, which experienced the lowest rainfall of approximately 25-30 mm. “This May was one of the wettest in the last decade in Jammu and Kashmir based on their analysis of the data,” Deputy Director of the Meteorological Department (MET), Mukhtar Ahmad, told Excelsior.
He attributed the continuous wet spell to consecutive western disturbances, with no prolonged dry periods in between. In addition, he said Jammu and Kashmir faced a substantial drop in temperatures, with yesterday’s readings being 10 degrees below normal in the Valley and 15-16 degrees below normal in Jammu.
Ahmad predicted that the current rainfall would result in little change in temperatures today, but a slight rise could be anticipated tomorrow. However, he said significant temperature improvements are likely from June 3rd, with temperatures reaching 30-35 degrees in the Jammu division and 28-30 degrees in the Kashmir division after June 6th-7th.
As anticipated, the weather transition began on May 29th, with intermittent rainfall, gusty winds, hailstorms, and thunderstorms occurring over the past three days. “Intermittent rainfall is expected across Kashmir on June 1st, followed by light rain and cloudy conditions on June 2nd,” Ahmad said.
June 3rd is expected to bring a significant improvement in weather conditions, with favourable conditions persisting until June 10th. “Although localised cloud formation may result in brief showers at some places, no significant weather activity is expected across Jammu and Kashmir during this period,” he said.
Ahmad cautioned about the possibility of waterlogging in certain areas and temporary increases in water levels in the Jhelum River and its tributaries due to the scattered nature of the rainfall. However, he assured the public that the overall rainfall has not been excessive and that the weather is likely to improve in the coming days.
He said attention is required for those travelling on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway and the Srinagar-Ladakh Highway. “The continuous rainfall over the past three days has saturated the soil, increasing the risk of shooting stones and mudslides,” warned Ahmad. He advised travellers to undertake only necessary journeys and consult the traffic police department for road conditions before setting off.
Farmers in the region have been unable to carry out their agricultural activities due to the prolonged rainfall. The MET recommends that they resume their operations from June 4th to June 10th, following the schedule issued by the horticulture department for chemical sprays, fertilizer application, and other necessary tasks.
Residents living in higher-altitude areas and nomadic communities such as the Gujjars are advised to exercise extra caution as thunderstorms are possible. They should avoid seeking shelter under trees or in open spaces and instead find safer alternatives. Livestock should also be provided with suitable shelter to protect them from inclement weather.
In the meantime, Srinagar recorded a low of 11.4°C against 11.6°C on the previous night and it was below normal by 1.1°C for the city.
Qazigund recorded a low of 11.0°C against 10.2°C on the previous night and it was above normal by 0.1°C for the town.
Pahalgam recorded a low of 7.6°C against 7.8°C on the previous night and it was 1.0°C above normal for the famous tourist resort.
In Kupwara town, the mercury settled at 10.7°C against 11.2°C on the previous night and it was 0.3°C below normal for the town.
Kokernag recorded a low of 9.8°C against 9.1°C on the previous night and it was 1.3°C below normal for the place.
Gulmarg recorded a low of 4.6°C against 5.0°C on previous night and it was below normal by 3.0°C for the ski resort.
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