TO THE RESCUE! IAF airlifts 1,100 stranded people in J&K

The road got closed on January 7 following season's first heavy snowfall and continued to remain blocked by the further snowfalls.

Despite strenuous efforts put in by the Border Roads Organisation which maintains the highway, the road could not be opened for two way passenger traffic.

However, stranded trucks carrying essential supplies to the Valley were allowed to ply after the highway was opened three days back.

The fresh snowfall again blocked the highway deepening the crisis faced by the passengers stranded in Jammu and Srinagar who have been facing hardships.

The situation was compounded by steep hike in airfares between the two capitals of the state making air travel out of bounds for the stranded passengers.

Those stranded in Srinagar included many tourists holidaying in Kashmir.

"IAF's one of the biggest peace-time day-night rescue and relief operations for the stranded civilians of Jammu and Kashmir in recent years started today with ferrying of over 1,100 people, including ladies and children in the snow-bound Kashmir Valley, which remained cut off since January 7," defence spokesperson, Jammu, S N Acharya said.

"We had several sorties of IL-76 and AN-32 aircrafts to ferry men and material to Kashmir," he said.

"We are happy that our main aim was fulfilled as every passenger went home safely" he added.

Dr Pawan Kotwal, divisional commissioner, Jammu, who was personally supervising the administrative measures in the technical airport, said that "preference was given to passengers who were stranded for a long time and ladies and children".

He further said that "if need be more rescue sorties will be organised". Dr Kotwal thanked the Air Force for prompt action at their end.