Snow disrupts life in Kashmir for second day

Life came to a standstill in Kashmir valley following heavy snowfall for the second consecutive day today. One person was killed when a tree fell on him under the weight of snow, officials said.

Meanwhile, all links between the valley and rest of the country remained snapped for the second day with the Jammu-Srinagar national highway remaining shut due to snowfall and landslides at some places.

Heavy snowfall, which continued throughout the night and stopped briefly this morning, was recorded in almost all parts of the region with tourist resorts Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Qazigund receiving more than 4 feet of snow, they said here.

Srinagar too witnessed substantial snowfall with more than two feet of snow accumulating in most parts of the city, causing road blockade and waterlogging.

No flight has taken off so far from the Srinagar airport today while just one, out of a dozen flights, could land here yesterday.

One person, Abdul Hamid Matoo, was killed when a tree fell on him in Pulwama district, while two houses collapsed under the weight of snow in Ganderbal area, they said, adding there were apprehension that many mudhouses in the upper reaches of the valley might have collapsed as well.

All educational institutions in the valley, which had opened last week after three months of winter vacation, were closed for two days and all examinations, including entrance tests for post graduate courses in Kashmir University, have been postponed.

Although 39 snow clearance machines were put into action by the administration, most of the link roads and internal roads were blocked due to snow and fallen trees.

The power department suspended electricity supply as a precautionary measure to prevent any untoward incident due to snapped electric wires lying on roads.

Divisional Commissioner Basharat Ahmad Dhar said that work was on to clear the snow on main roads and inter-district routes on priority basis.

"We have pressed our men and machinery into action and sought the help of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) as well for clearing the roads but the fallen trees are making the job difficult," Dhar said.

Continuous snowfall coupled with rains hampered the road clearance operation on Jammu-Srinagar highway, the officials said, adding over 1,000 vehicles, including passanger buses which were on way to Jammu yesterday, remained stranded on the highway at various points. However, all passangers were safe, they said.

The road clearance work would begin once the weather improves, a spokesman of the Border Roads Organisation, which maintains the highway, said.

The late snowfall this winter is likely to prolong the wintry condition in the valley but it has brought cheers for the farmers who are now expecting a good crop.

Meanwhile, pilgrimage to the Vaishnodevi shrine was stopped today with weather conditions turning grim after the season's first heavy snowfall in Trikuta hills of Jammu and Kashmir, an official of the shrine board said.

Authorities have also began evacuating over 5,000 stranded pilgrims at different places enroute holy cave shrine from Katra in view of severe cold conditions in the area, said additional chief executive officer of Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board, (SMVSB) Puneet Kumar.

He said the pilgrimage has been stopped in view of the heavy snowfall and uninterrupted rainfall there and enroute to shrine.