Srinagar- Normal life was thrown out of gear in Kashmir on Saturday as most areas of the valley received snowfall, disrupting flight and railway operations and also leading to the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, officials said.
Moderate to heavy snowfall was recorded across Kashmir since Friday, including the season’s first snowfall in Srinagar city and other plain areas of the valley.
In south Kashmir, heavy to very heavy snowfall was recorded in the plains, while central Kashmir’s plains received moderate snowfall.
The plains of north Kashmir received light to moderate snowfall, the officials said.
Srinagar recorded about eight inches of snow, while neighbouring Ganderbal recorded about seven inches. Sonamarg, a famous tourist destination, recorded around eight inches of snow, the officials added.
The Zojila axis along the Srinagar-Leh highway received about 15 inches of snow, they said. Areas in Budgam district received 7-10 inches of snow, while the plains in Anantnag district recorded around 17 inches.
The upper areas of the south Kashmir district received over two feet of snow, the officials said.
The tourist town of Pahalgam recorded 18 inches of fresh snowfall.
Areas in Pulwama district recorded 10-15 inches of snow, while neighbouring Kulgam received 18-25 inches and Shopian recorded around 18 inches of snowfall, the officials added.
In Bandipora district of north Kashmir, the plains recorded four inches of snow, while the higher reaches, including Gurez, received 6 to 10 inches of snowfall.
Areas in Baramulla district recorded 4-9 inches of snow, while the famous ski resort of Gulmarg received about 15 inches of snow, the officials said.
Kupwara plains received 1-2 inches of snow, and its upper reaches recorded 2-3 inches.
Even though the snowfall was welcomed by locals and tourists, it threw normal life out of gear.
The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) was closed for traffic due to snow, the Traffic Department officials said.
They added that clearance work was being hampered due to heavy snowfall at the Navyug Tunnel.
Men and machinery are on the job, and commuters are advised to avoid travel until the weather improves and the road is cleared, the officials said.
While authorities launched snow clearance operations at the respective district headquarters, most of the main roads and roads to hospitals were cleared of snow, but many interior roads were still blocked, the officials said.
Due to slippery conditions, motorists were facing difficulties in driving, they added.
Meanwhile, minimum temperatures improved by several degrees across the valley, the MeT Department said.
Srinagar recorded a low of minus 1 degree Celsius on Friday night, more than six degrees up from the previous night’s low of minus 7.3 degrees Celsius, it said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 5 degrees Celsius, while Pahalgam registered a minimum temperature of minus 2.8 degrees Celsius.
Qazigund recorded a minimum temperature of minus 0.6 degrees Celsius, while Konibal, a hamlet in the Pampore area, recorded minus 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Kupwara, in north Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 1.2 degrees Celsius, while south Kashmir’s Kokernag registered minus 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Kashmir is currently under the grip of ‘Chillai-Kalan’ — considered the harshest period of winter — which began on December 21.
During the 40 days of Chillai-Kalan, the chances of snowfall are the highest and the temperature drops considerably.
It ends on January 30 next year, but the cold wave continues even after that. The 40 days are followed by a 20-day ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).
Flights Cancelled, Rail Service Suspended
Air traffic to and from Srinagar was also affected as flight operations at the airport were suspended due to snowfall, the airport officials said.
“Due to bad weather conditions, all flights at Srinagar Airport have been cancelled. No flight operations could take place at the airport since the morning owing to the inclement weather,” officials added.
Passengers are advised to contact their airlines for updates, they said.
Clearance operations are ongoing, the runway has been cleared, and operations can resume only after the weather improves, the officials said.
Flight operations have been affected at the airport since Friday evening.
Director Srinagar Airport, Javed Anjum, confirmed that due to inclement weather conditions and poor visibility, all 35 flights from Srinagar airport were cancelled.
He advised passengers to stay in touch with their respective airlines for updates on rescheduling or refunds.
Train services on the Banihal-Baramulla section were suspended due to heavy snow accumulation on the track, the railway officials said. Efforts to clear the track are underway, they added.
Roads, Highways Closed
All the major roads and highways continued to remain closed for vehicular movement for the 2nd straight day while the stranded vehicles were allowed to ply towards Ramban on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
“All the stranded passengers have been allowed to ply towards Ramban today,” a top official said, adding that no fresh traffic was allowed from either side along the National Highway.
He added that the traffic has also been stopped at Banihal and Ramban due to the fresh snowfall.
The roads including Mughal Road, SSG road, Bandipora-Gurez and others also remained closed for the vehicular movement as precautionary measure
Over 1,300 HMVs Stranded on NH
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Traffic, Suleman Choudhary on Saturday said that more than 1300 Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) are stranded on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.
IGP Choudhary said that 465 HMVs are stranded in the Qazigund section of the highway, while 879 HMVs are stuck at various locations, including Ramban, Udhampur, and Jammu.
He said that traffic on the highway has been stopped from both sides. “There was a huge accumulation of snow in Qazigund. Cutter machines have cleared most of the snow, but allowing the movement of vehicles is not possible yet,” he said.
He said that vehicles stranded near the Navyug Tunnel have started moving towards Jammu.
IGP Choudhary said that the restoration of traffic will be reviewed on Sunday after the completion of snow clearance operations.
Meanwhile, in a traffic advisory, the Traffic Police stated, “Traffic could not be released today on the Jammu-Srinagar NHW due to snow accumulation and slippery road conditions between Navyug Tunnel and Mir Bazar. The Jammu-Srinagar NHW remains closed. Commuters are advised to avoid traveling on NH-44 until the road is clear. A decision regarding vehicular movement on the Jammu-Srinagar NHW will be taken tomorrow after assessing road conditions and receiving clearance from road maintenance agencies.”
The advisory states, Kishtwar-Sinthan-Anantnag road is still closed due to snow accumulation.
“Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumari Road, Mughal Road and Bhaderwah-Chamba Road are still closed due to snow accumulation,” it states.
“People are advised to undertake journey only after confirming status of the road from Traffic Control Units on the following phone numbers: Jammu (0191-2459048, 0191- 2740550, 9419147732, 103); Srinagar (0194-2450022, 2485396, 18001807091, 103); Ramban (9419993745, 1800-180-7043); Udhampur (8491928625); PCR Kishtwar (9906154100) and PCR Kargil (9541902330, 9541902331).
Power Outages Triggered
First snowfall in Kashmir has led to widespread power outages, leaving residents grappling with disruptions in essential services.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took to X to update the public on the situation.
“Out of forty-one 33KV feeders dysfunctional in Kashmir due to heavy snowfall, thirty seven have been restored and charged.” (SIC)
He further said, “Similarly, out of 739 dysfunctional 11KV feeders, 639 have been restored and recharged, bringing a major relief to the valley. The majority of the rest are expected to be restored by the evening. Kudos to the PDD team for their relentless efforts in this snowfall in such a short time.”
Earlier in the day, Omar said, “In Kashmir region, 41 feeders at 33 KV level and 739 feeders at 11kv level are down. None at 132KV or 220 level. Restoration work is underway and more than 90 percent feeders are expected to be up and functional by evening today. I’m in regular touch with the PDD team to monitor the situation.”
In the meantime, KPDCL Chief Engineer (Distribution) Aaquib Sultana Waheed Deva informed KNO that “We have almost restored 85 to 90 percent of power supply across the Kashmir valley.”
“However, there is a small dependency in Kulgam and Anantnag districts. Most likely, we will restore the power supply completely by Saturday late evening. We are continuously working on it,” Deva said.
On asking about the damage due to snowfall, Deva said, “As such there is no major damage witnessed so far but there has been a minor damage to Distribution Transformers (DTs). We are ascertaining the damage to DTs
Meanwhile, residents across the valley continue to face challenges, with power outages compounding the difficulties caused by heavy snowfall. Authorities are urging patience as restoration teams work to address the crisis.
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