Kashmir received fresh spell of snowfall on Saturday leading to suspension of air traffic and closure of Srinagar-Jammu highway.
Various city roads Tuesday witnessed traffic jams due to slippery conditions caused by the incessant snowfall.
“Snowfall has resumed in Kashmir today (Saturday). Locals are facing a lot of problems due to this. The roads are slippery and it has become difficult to drive. The authorities have not cleared the roads,” said Arshid Ahmad, a resident of Srinagar.
The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir received about 10 inches of snow, the officials said.
Kupwara, Baramulla, in the north, received three inches of snow, Qazigund in south Kashmir received about 5 cm and Srinagar three inches , they said.
Waterbodies, including portions of the famed Dal Lake, remained frozen, forcing boatmen to break the ice. Bonfires became a usual sight across the Valley, while commuters had a tough time negotiating the snowy roads throughout the day on Saturday.
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Due to fresh snowfall, at some places, vehicles skidded off the roads and were manually put back on the track by the commuters and the passers-by.
Various roads including at Jahangir Chowk, TRC, Dalgate, Batamaloo and others witnessed traffic jams throughout the day.
With traffic jams, the snow clearance machines also could not work freely on Saturday.
The air traffic to and fro Kashmir was also affected once again on Saturday in the wake of fresh snowfall.
Officials said, no flight was able to land at the Srinagar airport due to accumulation of snow on the runway.
“All flights for the day (Saturday) were cancelled,” he said.
Kashmir is presently in the grip of a 40-day harshest winter period known as Chilai Kalan. During the Chilai Kalan, which starts on December 21 and ends on January 31, chances of snowfall soar.
While as, the 270-km long highway, the only connectivity between Kashmir and rest of the world remains shut since Sunday. Besides, other highway including Srinagar-Leh highway and Mughal road connecting Kashmir to Jammu through Pirpanjal are already closed.
The Meteorological Department here has forecast light to moderate snowfall at scattered to widespread places in the plains of Kashmir till the forenoon on Sunday.
It said there is a possibility of heavy snowfall at isolated places over the Valley, especially in the higher reaches.
After this, the weather department said, the weather is likely to remain mainly dry till the end of this month.
However, On Saturday, there was improvement in both maximum and minimum temperatures.
