The Srinagar-Jammu national highway remained closed for the second consecutive day on Thursday though there was slight improvement in the weather condition after two days of intermittent snowfall in the higher reaches. The nearly 300-km highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was closed for traffic on Wednesday due to snowfall and rain at various places coupled with landslides and shooting stones.
Cattle Stranded in Trucks on Highway
Not just humans, hordes of cattle too are suffering because of scarcity of food and tortuous cold. Trucks loaded with cattle have been stranded near Udhampur for the last three days and the carers are worried that scarcity of food and inability to move about may hurt the cattle irreversibly.
The BRO Heroes
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which maintains the arterial road, has pressed its men and machines to restore traffic on the road but landslides and shooting of stones, triggered by rains, hampered the efforts.
No movement of traffic, either from Jammu or Srinagar, was allowed on Thursday as well, a spokesman for the Traffic Control Room in Srinagar said.
Efforts are on to clear the highway of the blockades at various places including Battery Cheshma, Anookhi fall, Digdol, Panthyal, Ramsoo, Gangroo, Karol, Mehar, Chanderkot, Peerah, Sarga and Nashri.
Snow clearance is also in progress at Jawahar Tunnel and Patnitop sectors to make the road traffic worthy, the spokesman said, adding it might be opened on Friday if there is no fresh snowfall or rains.
More Snowfall in 48 Hours?
There was no report of snowfall and rain from anywhere since the morning, much to the relief of people, especially those living in the high-altitude areas, where authorities had issued an avalanche warning on Thursday, following snowfall ranging between five inches to one-and-a-half feet.
However, MET department officials said there could be rain or snow in some areas in the next 48 hours.
Mercury Dips
Meanwhile, the night temperatures at most places in the Kashmir division continued their downward trend with Srinagar recording a low of 1.8 degrees Celsius against the previous night's 3.1.
The Pahalgam hill resort in south Kashmir, which serves as the base camp during the annual Amarnath yatra, also recorded a sub-zero night temperature at minus 0.2 degrees Celsius.
Video Editor: Prashant Bhardwaj
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