Fayaz Bukhari/
Avtar Bhat
Srinagar/ Jammu, Jan 23: The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was re-opened for traffic and the flights from Srinagar International Airport resumed this afternoon after the Border Roads Organization (BRO) cleared snow from the highway and the airport this morning, However, telecommunication were badly hit due to snapping of Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) at Banihal.
The Inspector General of Police Traffic, Muneer Ahmad Khan, told Excelsior that Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was re-opened for traffic this afternoon after BRO cleared snow from the highway especially Jawahar Tunnel to Qazigund stretch that was creating more problems.
The IGP said that 700 trucks and 45 Light Mortar Vehicles that were stranded at Qazigund were cleared towards Jammu and around 25 vehicles that were stranded between Batote and Banihal were also cleared towards Srinagar.
Khan said that if weather permits, one-way traffic will be allowed to ply from Jammu to Srinagar tomorrow.
With the improvement in weather, the air traffic from Srinagar International Airport resumed this afternoon. The poor visibility affected the air traffic in the morning but the flights were rescheduled. Yesterday all flight were cancelled due to heavy snowfall in Srinagar.
The Public Relations Officer, Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) Limited, Masood Bhalla told Excelsior that the snowfall led snapping of BSNL OFC cable at Banihal leading to breakdown of communication system including mobile phones, landlines and internet connectivity.
The PRO said that system has been shifted on micro wave and connectivity has been partially restored. “BSNL engineers are working on restoring the communication network and it will be through by tomorrow afternoon”, he added.
The electricity that was restored to major parts of Kashmir valley is playing hide and seek. “It is erratic despite claims by Power Development Department that electricity has been restored”, said Mohammad Yaqub, a Srinagar resident.
Police in the meantime evacuated 12 families from avalanche prone areas of Kulgam district last evening after heavy snowfall in Pir Panjal Mountains.
A police spokesman said that in view of heavy snowfall eight, families comprising 42 persons were shifted from avalanche prone areas of Kralaw Qazigund to safer place at Mirasi Nalah of Qazigund in district Kulgam.
The spokesman said that four families have also been evacuated from avalanche prone area of Waltengonar to Wasenag in district Kulgam.
Police said that 10 residential houses were damaged while three persons were injured due to heavy snowfall in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district since yesterday.
Police said a residential tin shed of Mohammad Yousuf Dar son of Abdul Ahad Dar resident of Arwani collapsed due to heavy snowfall. “Three persons Mohsin Ahmad Dar son of Mohammad Yousuf, Sabrine daughter of Mohammad Yousuf and Mudasir Ahmad Dar son of Manzoor Ahmad Dar were injured. All the injured were shifted to Sub-District hospital, Bijbehara for treatment”, the spokesman added.
The spokesman said that three residential houses belonging to Ghulam Rasool Wani son of Mohammad Rafiq Wani resident of Adigam, Mushtaq Ahmad Lone son of Ghulam Nabi resident of Nowbug and a Kacha house of Abdul Rashid Wani son of Nazim-ud-din Wani resident of Hillar Kokernag were damaged due to snowfall. However no injuries were reported in these incidents.
The spokesman said that in Acahabal area of Anantnag, heavy snowfall damaged the residential houses of Abdul Rashid Ahangar at Damhal Khushipora and Ghulam Nabi Bhat at Chandanwadan, Uttersoo.
The spokesman said that in Sirgufawara area of Pahalgam, two residential houses belonging to Rafiqa wife of Ghulam Rasool Lone and Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh son of Abdul Gani resident of Khurshroi Kalan, Anantnag and a cowshed belonging to Ghulam Reshi son of Ghulam Ahmad Reshi resident of Khushran Kalan Sirgufwara collapsed due to heavy snowfall.
“A residential house of Ghulam Hassan Khanday son of Habibullah Khanday resident of Krangsoo, Mattan and house of Abdul Rehman Wagay son of Raj Wagay resident of Hutmurah, Mattan, Anantnag were also damaged due to heavy snowfall”, the spokesman added.
In the meantime, Kashmir valley experienced fresh snowfall last night. A MeT official said that Srinagar recorded fresh snowfall of 10 centimetre, Qazigund 20 centimetre, Pahalgam 30 centimetre, Kokernag 14 centimetre and Gulmarg 14 centimetre.
The official said that snow or rain will occur at isolated places across Jammu and Kashmir during next 24 hours.
The snowfall resulted in the slight improvement in minimum temperatures, which brought a much-needed respite to the residents in Kashmir from the intense cold.
However, the mercury dropped across the Valley and Ladakh region last night, with Srinagar recording a low of 0.1 degree Celsius as against 0.2 degree Celsius the previous night while maximum day temperature settled at 4.2 degree Celsius.
South Kashmir towns of Qazigund and Kokernag recorded the minimum temperature of minus 2.2 degree Celsius and minus 5.0 degree Celsius, respectively while maximum day temperature settled at 4.3 degree Celsius and 3.8 degree Celsius respectively.
The temperature in Pahalgam plummeted by over nine degree from the previous night’s low of minus 1.0 degree Celsius, to settle at a minimum of minus 10.3 degree Celsius last night while day temperature settled at 5.3 degree Celsius.
Gulmarg registered a low of minus 7.6 degree Celsius as against minus 3.4 degree Celsius the previous night.
Kupwara recorded a low of 0.3 degree Celsius while maximum day temperature of the place settled at 3.3 degree Celsius.
Leh recorded a low of minus 7.1 degree Celsius compared to minus 5.2 degree the previous night while day temperature settled at 4.7 degree Celsius.
The maximum temperature in Jammu settled at 20 degree Celsius and night temperature at 7.9 degree Celsius.
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