*NH through, stranded vehicles cleared
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Jan 5: Hundreds of vehicles stranded at various places on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway between Udhampur and Qazigund were cleared as traffic was allowed today from both sides in view of overcast conditions in Kashmir and hilly areas of Jammu which have brightened the prospects of fresh snowfall as weatherman has also forecast widespread light to moderate snowfall in most parts of the Valley and high altitude areas of Jammu region over next 48 hours.
One-way traffic resumed on the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway today after remaining suspended for the past four days owing to multiple landslides in Ramban district, a Traffic department official said.
Traffic was allowed from Srinagar towards Jammu this morning and later from Jammu towards Srinagar after the road was cleared of blockades caused by landslides and shooting stones from hillocks overlooking the highway at Digdole and Chanderkote, the official said.
He said stranded vehicles, mostly trucks, were allowed to move towards their destinations late Saturday after the road was made trafficable. Till this afternoon, all the stranded vehicles on both sides of the Jawahar Tunnel were cleared and there is not even a single vehicle stranded on the highway now.
The highway was closed for traffic on Wednesday following multiple landslides at Digdol and Chanderkote in Ramban area, leaving thousands of commuters stranded.
Meanwhile, the weatherman has forecast a spell of widespread light to moderate snowfall in most parts of the Valley, some places of Kargil and Zanskar and hilly areas of Leh and Jammu over the next 48 hours. He also forecasted light to moderate rain in plains of Jammu during 6th and 7th January. Light rain/snow may commence tonight and it will increase gradually from tomorrow evening.
He said overcast skies have resulted in warmer than expected night temperature with Srinagar recording a low of minus 1 degrees Celsius last night. The official said the ski-resort of Gulmarg in North Kashmir recorded the low of minus 10.5 degrees Celsius last night – four degrees down from Saturday.
The night temperature at Pahalgam resort, which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra in South Kashmir, settled at a low of minus 9.4 degrees Celsius – nearly seven degrees down from minus 2.5 degrees Celsius yesterday, he said.
He said Qazigund – the gateway town to the Valley – in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 0.6 degree Celsius – up over six degrees from the previous night’s minus 7 degrees Celsius. Kokernag town, also in south, recorded a low of minus 4.9 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara, in north, registered the minimum of minus 4 degrees Celsius, the official said.
The mercury in Leh, in the Ladakh Union Territory, settled at a low of minus 16.4 degrees Celsius.
Jammu city recorded a low of 5.5 degrees Celsius, down by 1.8 notches from the previous night’s 7.3 degrees Celsius, the official said.
He said Bhaderwah in Doda district was the coldest recorded place in the region with a minimum of minus 3.7 degrees Celsius followed by highway town of Banihal in Ramban district at minus 2.8 degrees Celsius.
The high altitude areas of Jammu region including Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar experienced light to moderate snowfall on Saturday.
Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Reasi district, also recorded a dip in the night temperature which settled at 5.4 degrees Celsius, the official said.
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