Fresh snow, rains lash Kashmir valley

Srinagar, February 06 (KMS): Srinagar-Jammu highway received snowfall and heavy rains at several places triggering fears of landslides.

The Superintendent of Police, Ramban Anil Magotra said that it was snowing at Jawahar Tunnel, Banihal, Ramso, Batote, Patnitop areas en route the highway. “Reports of landslides, heavy rains and rock sliding at Panthal area in Ramban district were also received,” he said.

Officials of Border Road Organisation (BRO) said that due to fresh snowfall in the Banihal and Patnitop sectors coupled with shooting stones in Panthal, no traffic was allowed.

The authorities on Sunday for the third consecutive day 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 (SASE), the Coordinator Divisional Disaster Management Cell has issued medium danger Avalanche warning for the next 24 hours up to 5.00pm tomorrow,” an official spokesman said.

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

The tourist resort of Gulmarg, which received more than 14 inches of snow, was the coldest place in the Valley with a minimum temperature settling at minus 7.5 degrees Celsius. Srinagar, which was covered with a thin layer of fresh snow received snowfall and rainfall of 16.6 mm and recorded the minimum of minus 0.1 degrees Celsius.

South Kashmir’s tourist resort of Pahalgam recorded 23.4 mm rainfall. The gateway town to Kashmir valley, Qazigund, received 27.9 mm rainfall and north Kashmir’s frontier town of Kupwara recorded 33.5 mm rainfall.