40 soldiers among 60 rescued in Doda
Gopal Sharma/Suhail Bhat
JAMMU/ SRINAGAR, Jan 27: While at least 60 people including 40 Army soldiers were rescued from heavy snowbound areas in district Doda by GREF men, the fresh snowfall across Jammu and Kashmir and parts of Ladakh today disrupted road, rail and air travel, forcing closure of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and Batote Doda-Kishtwar road.
Srinagar- Kargil-Leh highway continued to be blocked for the last four days, while Mughal Road and Kishtwar-Sinthon Top-Anantnag and Bhaderwah-Bani-Basohli- Pathankot highway were also still blocked due to heavy snowfall since January 24.
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Most parts of the Kashmir valley and mountainous areas of Jammu region received overnight snowfall as western disturbance swept through the region. Light to moderate snow fell in the plains, including Srinagar, while higher altitude areas recorded moderate to heavy snowfall.
The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, remained closed after snow accumulated near the Navyug Tunnel between Qazigund in Kulgam district and Banihal and Ramban besides Nashri, Batote and Patnitop areas. No vehicular movement was allowed from either side.
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SSP Traffic National Highway, Jammu-Banihal section, Raja Adil Ganai told Excelsior late this evening that it was raining and snowing in Banihal and Ramsu area besides and both sides of the Navyug Tunnel up to Qazigund. Over 500 vehicles including 100 LMV s were stranded between Banihal and Chenani-Nashri area. He said there was fresh snow fall during morning hours and raining as well. The traffic was suspended last night.
He said due to fresh snowfall in Nashri-Batote area during morning hours, Batote-Doda-Kishtwar road was also closed. If the weather improved tomorrow, the snow clearance work will be launched and traffic restored along the highway.
SSP traffic NH, Kashmir Ravindra Pal Singh urged commuters to strictly follow official advisories, saying warnings had been issued in advance based on weather forecasts. “We issued advisories since last night from our office and the traffic headquarters. Both sides of the Navyug Tunnel are closed,” Singh said.
He said precautionary measures were being taken to ensure commuter safety and warned that snowfall was expected to intensify. “All truckers and vehicle owners must check the daily advisory and plan their travel accordingly,” he said.
Meanwhile, over 60 persons, including 40 Army soldiers (Rashtriya Rifles Bn) were rescued by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO/GREF) after they were stranded in a snowbound area of Chhattergalla on Bhaderwah-Bani-Basohli road.
The BRO successfully carried out the high-altitude rescue and road restoration operation under Project Sampark at Chhattergalla Pass situated at an altitude of 10,500 ft in the Bhaderwah-Chhattergalla axis, an official said.
He said the 118 Road Construction Company (RCC) of 35 Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) began the operation on January 24, a day after heavy snowfall which continued for nearly 40 hours, clearing approximately 38 km of road covered under five to six feet of snow.
The route was opened last evening, enabling safe evacuation of 20 stranded civilians and 40 personnel of the 4 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), along with weapons and stores, he added.
The rescue mission was completed by January 26 with zero casualties, underscoring the professionalism of BRO personnel operating in the challenging high-altitude terrain amid extreme weather conditions, he said.
The operation was executed in close coordination with the Army, ensuring swift relief and the restoration of critical communication links in the region.
Meanwhile, the spokesman said the BRO also restored connectivity of strategic roads in the Kandi-Kotranka area of Rajouri district.
Following a spell of heavy snowfall in the Rajouri-Kandi-Budhal area on Tuesday, the BRO undertook immediate and sustained snow clearance operations to restore vital road connectivity in the region.
The snow cover, measuring up to three feet, had disrupted movement along a critical road stretch in the Pir Panjal region, cutting off the Kandi-Kotranka sub division from Rajouri town, the spokesman said, adding that the intense snowfall had disrupted military and civilians movement, including medical emergency services.
Despite the high operational risks, he said BRO personnel of the 110 RCC of 31 BRTF under Project Sampark carried out sustained day and night operations, deploying specialised snow clearance equipment and manpower.
As a result of concerted efforts, a single-lane road was opened initially, enabling controlled vehicular movement, the official said.
He said the swift response ensured resumption of traffic within 14 hours, including the movement of emergency and essential services.
Clearance and widening operations continued relentlessly, and the road was further widened to facilitate safer and smoother movement. A total stretch of approximately 35 km was cleared and restored within 24 hours, the statement added.
Meanwhile, two bodies remained stranded near Nathu Singh Bridge in the Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district for nearly an hour today after a section of the highway was temporarily closed due to landslides and falling rocks.
An official said the deceased included a woman from Nambla who had died at a Srinagar hospital and a man from Balkote in Uri who died at his home in Baramulla earlier in the day. Ambulances carrying the bodies were stopped near the bridge after the sudden highway closure.
Officials said the highway was closed around 11 a.m. as a precaution and reopened after more than two hours once debris was cleared using heavy machinery. “The bodies were later transported to their respective residences by ambulances from SDH Uri,” an official said.
Authorities said the stretch is prone to frequent closures due to recurring landslides. “Machinery under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana has also been deployed to clear link roads blocked by heavy snowfall,” officials said.
The Rail services were also partially disrupted Kashmir and Sangaldan- Banihal section, with at least two passenger trains between Banihal and Baramulla cancelled after snowfall accumulated along the tracks. “The trains that were scheduled in the morning were cancelled while others faced delays due to snowfall,” an official said.
Air traffic was severely affected, with all flights to and from Srinagar International Airport cancelled due to poor visibility and snow-covered runways. The Airport Authority of India at Srinagar said 58 flights, including 29 arrivals and 29 departures, were cancelled in the interest of passenger safety, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.
An official said that due to adverse weather conditions and continuous snowfall, the runway was not available for safe aircraft operations, “now the runway has been cleared and we are hopeful that the flight operations will resume tomorrow,” he said.
Director AAI, at Jammu Devender Yadav said that with the suspension of flight operation at Srinagar, seven flights at Jammu Airport were cancelled on Tuesday and five others delayed.
The Meteorological Department in Srinagar said another western disturbance is expected to affect Jammu and Kashmir on February 1 and 2, bringing fresh spells of rain and snowfall. Officials warned the system could again disrupt air and road connectivity, particularly along the Srinagar to Jammu highway and other snow-prone routes.
Despite the disruption, some tourists in Srinagar welcomed the snowfall. “When we woke up, everything was blanketed in white,” a tourist said.
Another tourist said the snowfall made her daughter’s birthday memorable despite the lack of celebrations. “There was no cake or party, but nature made it special,” she said.
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