Srinagar: Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway was suspended Tuesday after a landslide in Ramban district, officials said.
The landslide struck the highway at Sher Bibi near Banihal around 2 am, leaving Kashmir-bound trucks stranded, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Traffic), Asghar Malik, said.
“Despite shooting stones, a major part of the debris has already been cleared. It will take hardly over an hour to clear the remaining part of the road once the rocks stop rolling down,” the officer said.
He said no fresh traffic was allowed from Srinagar side this morning.
A traffic department official in Jammu said, “We have allowed light motor vehicles in the morning but after getting information about continuous shooting stones, the traffic was stopped for the time being”.
Meanwhile, parts of Kashmir Valley received rains and snowfall while meteorological department (MeT) has predicted mainly dry weather from Tuesday onwards across Jammu and Kashmir.
A MeT official said that the upper reaches of the Valley received fresh snowfall with the skiing resort of Gulmarg recording 10 cms (4 inches) till 0830 hours today.
He said that while Srinagar had traces of rain during the time, Qazigund recorded 4.3mm, Pahalgam 4.3mm, Kupwara 7.6mm, Kokernag 4.2mm, Banihal 0.6mm, Batote 0.2mm and Bhadarwah 1.4mm of rains.
Regarding temperature, he said, Srinagar recorded a low of 5.0°C against the previous night’s 5.3°C . Today’s minimum temperature, he said, was above normal by 4.1°C for the summer capital.
Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of 4.7°C against 3.7°C on the previous night and it was 4.8°C above normal for the gateway town of Kashmir.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of 0.8°C against minus 1.7°C on the previous night and it was 4.8°C above normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Kokernag recorded a low of 3.7°C, the same as on the previous night and it was 4.4°C above normal for the place, the officials said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minusv3.5°C against 0.2°C on the previous night and it was 3.2°C above normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said.
In Kupwara town, he said, the mercury settled at 3.1°C against 4.5°C on the previous night and it was 3.4°C above normal for the north Kashmir area.
Jammu recorded a low of 13.7°C against 15.5°C on the previous night. It was 3.1°C above normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said.
Banihal, he said, recorded a low of 6.2°C (above normal by 5.0°C), Batote 7.6°C (above normal by 4.1°C), Katra 11.7°C (3.2°C above normal) and Bhadarwah 4.7°C (4.1°C above normal).
Ladakh’s Leh recorded a low of minus 5.6°C, the official said.
The MeT has forecast clear weather at most places in the next 24 hours.
From February 22-25, the official said that mainly clear to partly cloudy weather was expected at most places.
From Feb 26-27, he said generally cloudy weather with possibility of light rain/snowfall over higher reaches at scattered places.
