Srinagar: The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was partially reopened for traffic today, a week after landslides due to snowfall and rains had led to its closure.
Only stranded vehicles have been allowed to ply towards Srinagar and no fresh traffic has been allowed.
“The national highway has been partially opened for one-way traffic this morning,” an official of the Traffic Department here said.
“Efforts are on to restore the highway fully and we expect to allow the fresh traffic in the afternoon,” he said.
The official said men and machinery were on the job and authorities were trying their best to restore the highway fully for traffic.
The highway, the only all weather road link between the Valley and rest of the country, was closed on Wednesday last following heavy rains and snowfall.
Landslides at Mehar in Ramban and other places near Ramsoo had led to the closure of the highway.
The road was thrown open for one-way traffic for a brief period of time on Sunday but was closed shortly afterwards following fresh landslides.
The government had yesterday arranged special air sorties for stranded passengers in Jammu as well as in Kashmir.
Day Chill Returns to Valley
Srinagar: After witnessing summer-like weather for the second successive days till yesterday, chill during the day has returned due to cloudy skies though night temperature remained above freezing point in Kashmir.
World famous ski resort of Gulmarg was the coldest place in the region at minus 6.8 degree, followed by Leh, where mercury settled at minus 5 degree.
A Met department spokesperson told UNI that light rain and snow would occur at isolated places during the next 24 hours in the state.
The night temperature at Leh dipped and settled at minus 5 degree, against minus 3.5 degree recorded yesterday. But, the mercury at border town of Kargil recorded an improvement of about 5 degree from yesterday and settled at minus 2.9 degree.
He said that sky will be generally cloudy during the next 24 hours in Leh, where maximum and minimum temperatures will be 3 degree and minus 5 degree.
Even though there was an improvement of about 3 degree from yesterday at Gulmarg, about 55 km from here in north Kashmir, it was still the coldest place in the region at minus 6.8 degree, which is about 4 degree below normal.
After experiencing summer like weather for two days, people in the summer capital, Srinagar woke up to a chilly morning due to cloudy skies, coupled with ice cold winds. The night temperature in Srinagar witnessed a marginal improvement though it still was about a degree below normal. Against 2.1 degree recorded yesterday, the night temperature was 2.6 degree. Yesterday, the maximum temperature recorded in Srinagar was normal.
The spokesperson told UNI that there is a possibility of light rain or snow during the next 24 hours in Srinagar, where maximum and minimum temperatures will be 10 degree and 2 degree.
However, the night temperature at Qazigund, gateway to the Kashmir Valley, on the 300-km-long national highway, where traffic was restored partially for one-way traffic, dipped and settled a degree below normal. Against 1.2 degrees recorded yesterday, the night temperature was 0.8 degree.
Meanwhile, mercury at world famous health resort of Pahalgam, which is about 100 km from here in south Kashmir, dipped and settled at minus 1.8 degree, against minus 1.7 degree recorded yesterday.
The mercury at another health resort of Kokernag remained constant at 1.3 degree since yesterday. Kupwara in north Kashmir witnessed improvement in the night temperature. Against 1.3 degree recorded yesterday at Kupwara, the night temperature was 1.8 degree.
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