Postcards from a snowy Kashmir

The Kashmir Valley received fresh snow Sunday that blocked the Jammu-Srinagar national highway yet again. The blockade of the highway stranded hundreds of vehicles at various points on the highway.

The Border Roads Organisation, which maintains the strategic highway, the only surface link with rest of the country has been working overtime to clear snow and landslips for the traffic.

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With inputs from PTI

A senior officer of the BRO said that 18 inches of fresh snow was recorded on either side of 2.5 km long Jawahar tunnel connecting the Valley with Jammu region, which received snow and heavy rains.

"We are on the job to clear the highway and make it accessible. All the stranded vehicles at various points were cleared by evening and the road will be open to one way traffic by Monday," the officer said.

The north Kashmir tourist resort of Gulmarg received heavy snow in past 24 hours.

The Valley is still short of LPG cylinders and the people are queuing up for receiving refills at various places in capital city.

The Valley, however, has received some respite from intense cold wave it faced in January.

The minimum and maximum temperature has shown an upward trend in past three days bringing much needed relief to the people from cold and heralding the onset of an early spring.

Meanwhile, authorities in Jammu Kashmir on Sunday extended the medium avalanche warning in areas close to mountainous areas of the Kashmir valley following fresh snowfall over the past 36 hours.

"On the basis of information received from Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, the coordinator of the divisional disaster management cell has issued medium danger avalanche warning for the next 24 hours up to 5.00 pm on Monday," an official spokesman said.

He said the avalanche warning has been issued in the snowbound hilly areas of Khilanmarg, Gulmarg, Uri in Baramulla district, Chowkibal, Tangdhar in Kupwara district, Gurez in Bandipora district, Pulwama Shopian and Kulgam in south Kashmir.

A similar alert has been issued in Kishtwar and Banihal areas, south of Pir Panjal Range, and Zojila and Sonamarg on Srinaar-Leh road, he added.

"People living in these areas have been advised not to venture in steep avalanche prone slopes during above mentioned period. They are also advised to keep cleaning the snow from roof top of their houses to avoid any causality due to roof collapse," the spokesman said. He said people living near the forests have been advised not to go for collection of firewood, as there is apprehension of avalanche.Moderate snowfall has been going on intermittently across Kashmir valley including Srinagar since Friday evening.

Authorities on Friday issued a medium danger avalanche warning in some areas of north Kashmir but it was extended to other areas of the valley following fresh snowfall on Saturday.

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