SRINAGAR: Massive snowfall on Friday shutdown life in the Valley and cut off Kashmir from the rest of the world as the Srinagar-Jammu highway remained closed.Heavy snowfall also cut off many far-flung areas in the region. There has almost been a breakdown of electricity in the Kashmir Valley and people are facing drinking water scarcity in areas without electricity.
After heavy snowfall in Srinagar, the city has been shut down after receiving more than one feet of snow. People faced huge incontinence due to official apathy. While there was no electricity, accumulated snow on the roads created problems for the commuters. Despite a widespread snowfall forecast, the administration was caught off guard as no preparations were made to clear the the snow from vital nerves of the city.
The MeT Office has forecast widespread snowfall or rains over the next two days also. Though South Kashmir’s Anantnag district didn’t witness snowfall, but other south Kashmir’s districts were covered with blankets of snow. Authorities closed Srinagar-Jammu highway closed for traffic due to bad weather. Train service was also suspended while flights didn’t take off from the Srinagar International Airport.
A MeT official said that this is the heaviest snowfall experienced in the summer capital this season. The higher reaches in the Valley like Keran, Machil, Karnah, Gurez, Shopian, Sonamarg and Amarnath cave along with surrounding areas experienced continuous moderate to heavy snowfall for the fourth consecutive day, an official said. During the last 24 hours, there has been heavy snowfall in Gulmarg, the star attraction for tourists visiting the Valley during winter, and peripheral areas including Khilanmarg, Kongdoori and Afferwath.
Pahalgam in south Kashmir, which serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, received five cm of snow and rainfall during the last 24 hours, the official said, adding the resort recorded a low of minus 1.4 degrees Celsius. Due to heavy snowfall all Kashmir University examinations scheduled to be held on 7th and 8th of January 2017 were postponed.