Banihal: Fresh snowfall and multiple landslides at different places on Saturday forced the closure of the 270 km Jammu-Srinagar national highway, officials said.
The Banihal-Qazigund sector of the highway experienced overnight snowfall while landslides and shooting of stones from the hillocks were triggered by heavy rains at Rompadi-Banihal, Shalgardh-Wagan, Moumpassi-Ramsu, Panthiyal, Digdole, Maroog, Monkey Morh, Cafeteria Morh and Mehar in Raman district, the officials said.
They said a truck driver Waseem Ahmad Dar of Baramulla was injured when his vehicle was hit by a rolling boulder at Mehar around 4.30 am.
Dar was en route to Kashmir from Jammu and was rescued by a joint team of the police and civil volunteers, the officials said, adding his condition is stated to be “stable”.
The closure of the highway left dozens of trucks stranded at different places, the officials said.
With the improvement in weather, they said the road-clearance agencies have pressed men and machinery to clear the debris off the highway.
Reports of snowfall ranging between a few inches to over one feet were also received from the high altitude areas of Kishtwar, Reasi, Doda, Poonch, Rajouri and Kathua district of Jammu region.
Meanwhile, the traffic authorities, in an advisory issued this evening, said that movement of Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) would be allowed from both sides (Jammu and Srinagar) on Sunday in case the weather improves and the road condition betters.
Light rain, snow on Mar 02 likely
Following the snowfall and rains, weather conditions improved across Kashmir on Saturday while the local Meteorological (MeT) department forecast two-day wet spell in higher reaches on March 02, 2022.
The Met officials said that during Mar 02-03 there is possibility of light rain or snowfall in the higher reaches of Kashmir. However, they added that there is no forecast of major rain or snowfall till March 05.
Pertinently, most parts of Kashmir received major snowfall on Wednesday causing extensive damage to the power infrastructure in the valley.
