Kashmir witnessed snowfall for the third consecutive day on Tuesday as residents of the valley continued to experience warmer than usual night temperature.
“Light to moderate snowfall has been going on intermittently across Kashmir, including Srinagar city,” an official of the MeT department said.
However, flight operations and vehicular movement remained closed for the third consecutive day on Tuesday due to continuous accumulation of Snow.
The 270-km Jammu-Srinagar highway, the only all weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was closed for the third day on Tuesday amid snowfall and landslides at several places in Ramban district, traffic department officials said.
Snowfall is continuing at many places including Jawahar Tunnel – the gateway to Kashmir valley, thus hampering efforts of early restoration of the highway, the officials said.
Vehicular traffic on the highway was suspended earlier on Sunday morning after snowfall and landslides, leaving thousands vehicles stranded between Ramban and Banihal.
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About two feet of snow had accumulated on the ground in Jawahar Tunnel area since Sunday, the officials said adding the shooting of stones from the hillocks overlooking the highway was continuing at Panthiyal, and Digdole.
“The reopening of the highway for vehicular traffic depends on the improvement in the weather and stopping of snow. The men and machines are ready to clear the highway,” they said.
Meanwhile, Kashmir is currently under the grip of ‘Chillai-Kalan’ – the 40-day harshest period of winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum and the temperature drops considerably.
‘Chillai-Kalan’ began on December 21 and will end on January 31, but the cold wave continues even after that in Kashmir. The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day long ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).
The weatherman has forecast significant improvement in weather from Wednesday.
