Traffic allowed from Jmu to Sgr
Srinagar: The weather turned pleasant as bright sunshine greeted people in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir valley, where the mercury during the night dipped slightly due to open skies.
A Met department spokesperson said the weather will remain dry during the next three day, which could result in further dip in the night temperature though the mercury during the day is expected to improve in Kashmir.
After witnessing below normal night temperature in Srinagar, people woke up to a sunny Wednesday morning. Against minus 1.2 degree recorded on Tuesday, the night temperature in the city dipped and settled at minus 1.6 degree, which is a degree below normal. However, weather remained pleasant throughout the day due to sunshine in the city, where people were seen basking in the sun in parks, balconies and open fields. The maximum temperature recorded on Tuesday in the city was slightly below normal due to cloudy skies.
“The skies will mainly clear during the next 24 hours in Srinagar, where the maximum and minimum temperatures will be around 13 degree and minus 3 degree, respectively,” he added.
World famous ski resort of Gulmarg, which is covered under several feet of snow, also witnessed pleasant weather as bright sunshine greeted tourists, including adventure lovers. But, the mercury during the night at Gulmarg, which is known for its ski slopes and quality of snow, dipped and settled at minus 4 degree, against minus 3.5 degree recorded on Tuesday. The night temperature at the ski resort settled about 3 degree above normal. “Tourists, particularly adventure lovers, are out on ski slopes, enjoying different snow related activities on a sunny day,” a hotelier from Gulmarg told UNI over the phone.
The night temperature at world famous tourist resort of Pahalgam, about 100 km from here in south Kashmir, dipped about two degree from Tuesday and settled at 4 degree, which is about 2 degree above normal. The weather at the health resort also turned pleasant during the day due to sunshine.
The mercury at Qazigund, gateway to the valley, Kupwara in north Kashmir and tourist resort of Kokernag settled at minus 3.8 degree, minus 1.8 degree and minus 3.5 degree, respectively.
Meanwhile, fresh traffic from Jammu to Srinagar was on Wednesday allowed to ply on 270-km-long highway, which connects Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, after clearing stranded vehicles till late last evening.
“Hundreds of vehicles left Jammu for Kashmir on Wednesday morning as fresh traffic was allowed to ply on the highway after clearing the vehicles, which were stranded on the road for several hours on Tuesday due to landslides, till late last evening,” a traffic police official said.
He said traffic on the highway was suspended on Tuesday afternoon due to fresh landslides at Marog in Ramban district.
However, he said the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) made the road traffic worthy again in the evening and vehicles, stranded at various places on the national highway, were cleared till late last evening.
The forces have been advised not to ply against traffic plan in view of traffic congestion on the highway and narrowness of bailey bridge at Kela morh, where main concrete bridge was damaged after a retaining wall collapsed on January 10 evening. The baily bridge was installed by Border Roads Organisation (BRO) after National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) said it will take time to repair the damage. “Working on the retaining wall was going on, but it was not immediately clear when the work will be completed,” he added.
Frequent closure of the highway since its expansion has been a major cause of concern for the people living in Kashmir, where suspension of traffic results in increase in the rates of essential commodities by many folds.
