Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remains blocked for the fifth day

Guwahati: Continuing for the fifth consecutive day, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway has remained closed as a range of fresh snowfall has blocked the roads once again. Failing all efforts and measures of road clearing taken by the authority, the fresh line of snowfalls has hinted that there might be more stability in the coming days as it has not been possible to clear the snow from the roads.

The road blockade took place on Tuesday when a snow avalanche blocked both tubes of the Jawahar Tunnel on Qazigund side. As reported by the officials, the intermittent snowfall has not only added more snow to the roads but has also hampered the road clearance operations.

An official of the traffic department said, “The Jammu-Srinagar highway is still closed for traffic. Efforts are on to make the road traffic worthy at the earliest.”

However, not only the Jammu-Srinagar highway but other important roads and places of the valley too are suffering a lot due to the heavy snowfall. Other places in the valley are witnessing snowfall rendering a thick blanket of snow measuring nearly two inches in the early hours on Friday.

Apart from the snowfalls and road blockade issues, the valley is also facing freezing cold waves as Kashmir is still experiencing cold wave positions with the minimum temperature positioning below the freezing point last night. The minimum temperature in Srinagar on Thursday night was minus 1.3 degrees Celsius which is a slight up from minus 1.5 degrees Celsius the previous night.

The gateway town to the valley Qazigund in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 1.2 degree Celsius. Among other places in the valley, the Gulmarg ski-resort recorded a low of minus 10 degrees Celsius which is a little rise of 2.6 degrees over the previous night. Another tourist destination, Pahalgam too remained freezing cold at minus 6.1 degrees Celsius.

Kargil was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir which recorded minus 19.8 degrees Celsius as the minimum temperature on Thursday. The maximum temperature on the day was minus 3 degrees Celsius.

Also read: Jammu-Srinagar highway closed