More than 6000 vehicles remained stranded at various places due to heavy snowfall in Jammu Kashmir for the second day on Monday. Air services to Srinagar also remained suspended due to snow and poor visibility. Heavy snowfall has been predicted also on Tuesday.
As Kashmir valley remains wrapped in snow, many areas have been cut off especially down in South Kashmir, where road connectivity and electricity has ben severely hit. The administration has set up control rooms across all districts, however, the snow remains unremoved from most of the parts other than in the urban localities.
Speaking to The Kashmiriyat, locals from the upper reaches of Kulgam including Damhal Hanjipora, Noorabad, Aharbal said that the areas have been cut off due to the snowfall and the administration has so far failed to reach these areas.
The upper reaches of Shopian including the upper parts of Pir Panjal range and other upper areas that received more than three feet of snowfall and the areas have been completely cut off from the district headquarters in Shopian. “Essential services are missing in the area, we do not see administration anywhere,” a local told The Kashmiriyat over phone.
In Anantnag, the district administration removed snow from the main towns, however the upper reaches have ben cut off from the district headquarters in this South Kashmir district. “Electricity has long gone, the administration made promises, but all of them have failed, they remove the snow under the camera cover and where there are no cameras, they care not come,” a resident of Verinag told The Kashmiriyat.
Locals from Islamabad (anantnag) township complained that the main roads of the township are also blocked. “The administration has terribly failed to remove the snow, many area of the Islamabad (anantnag) township said that the township are blocked for the first time ever in snowfall.”
In Tral and other upper belts of Pulwama, people are facing tremendous problems.
The traffic police has ordered that no vehicles will be allowed to move on the Jammu-Srinagar highway due to accumulation of snow and landslides near Ramban. The deputy commissioner, Ramban, said that condition of the highway was bad at the Jawahar Tunnel where efforts were being made to clear the snow.
Reports said that since yesterday hundreds of people were stranded at various places on the highway. Several others were stranded in Jammu and Srinagar.
The MeT department has announced inclement weather in J&K for next few days. The Srinagar-Leh highway has been officially closed on the orders by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir since 30 December.