Day 4: Kashmir remains cut off due to landslides

Srinagar, Feb 15: The Kashmir valley remained cut off from rest of the country for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday due closure of 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway following fresh landslide after snow and rain.
Dozens of far-flung and remote villages, including those near the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir, remained cut off from their respective district headquarters due to accumulation of snow and slippery road conditions.
The national highway, linking Ladakh region with Kashmir and 86-km-long historic Mughal road also remained closed.
Hundreds of vehicle, including those carrying passengers besides two bodies, remained stranded at different places on the highway. Kashmir-bound passengers stranded at Jammu alleged that the local authorities have failed to provide them any relief and they are being charged extra by the local traders.
The road at Penthal and Anokhapal was cleared yesterday in the afternoon but before vehicles could be allowed to move, there were fresh landslides at other places also, a traffic police official said on Thursday morning.
He said the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway, has been working almost round-the-clock to put through the traffic.
The BRO has already pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to clear the landslides.
The national highway was closed on Monday due to snow, landslides and slippery road condition.
”We will allow traffic only after receiving green signal from the traffic police officials posted at different places besides BRO,” he said, adding that only stranded vehicles will be cleared before allowing fresh traffic from Srinagar or Jammu.
The authorities have also issued fresh low danger avalanche warning on Srinagar-Jammu national highway. Several passengers, including women, risked their lives and covered the affected hilly area on foot to board the vehicle at next available place.
The locals alleged that mountains slopes have collapsed due to some construction work particularly between Banihal and Ramban. A woman, carrying the body of her minor son, besides a person with the body of his mother are among the large number of Kashmir-bound stranded passengers for the past three days.
Large number of passengers, stranded at Jammu bus stand, said that they have no money to stay in a hotel or pay for meals. ”We are stranded in Jammu for the past four days and have no money left now,” they said and alleged that authorities have failed to make any arrangement for them.
Meanwhile, the national highway, connecting Ladakh with Kashmir, remained closed since December last year. There was fresh snowfall at Sonamarg, Zojila pass and Meenmarg on 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway early this week.
The road is also very slippery due to below freezing temperature, officials said adding the road is likely to reopen after April. The 86-km-long historic Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region, also remained closed since December last year.
There was also fresh snowfall on the highway, including at Pir-ki-Gali, Harpora and Shopian during the past 24 hours. The road is likely to reopen in May, they said.
Meanwhile, dozens of far-flung and remote villages, including those near the LoC remained cut off with their respective district and tehsil headquarters due to fresh snowfall in north Kashmir recently.
The Sadhna top, Z-Gali and Phirkiyan pass remained closed due to moderate to heavy snowfall on Sunday night, official sources said on Thursday. The road between Bandipora to border town of Gurez also remained closed due to accumulation of snow, particularly at Razdan top.
There was fresh snowfall during the past 36 hours, a Police Control Room (PCR) official said over phone from Bandipora. The road is likely to reopen in March or April, he said. Roads from Kupwara to border towns of Keran, Karnah, Machil, Tangdhar and dozens of other far-flung and remote villages, including those near LoC, also remained closed.
There was fresh snowfall since Sunday night, a PCR official said from Kupwara. He said about six inches to one feet of fresh snowfall had accumulated at Z-Gali, Phirkiyan pass and Sadhna top, where eleven people, including Border Roads Organisation (BRO) officer, were killed in a snow avalanche in January this year.
Meanwhile, State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) has issued High danger avalanche warning for Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora districts including Gulmarg, Kupwara-Chowkibal-Tangdhar sector, Furkian-Z Gali, Bandipora-Kanzalwan-Gurez sector.
He said medium danger avalanche warning has been issued for Kargil district in Ladakh region and low danger warning for Poonch, Rajouri, Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Udhampur, Kulgam, Budgam and Leh districts and Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
People living in avalanche-prone areas have been advised by the Disaster Management Authority to take precautionary measures, he said.

Highway to re-open for fresh traffic today

Srinagar, Feb 15: The Srinagar-Jammu highway will re-open for fresh traffic on Friday.
The 300-km highway, the only road linking Kashmir with the rest of the world, was closed for traffic on Monday due to snowfall and rain at various places coupled with landslides and shooting stones.
The shooting stones and landslides which occurred in the last couple of days at multiple places including Anokhifall and Marog near Ramban town led to the closure of the road since last four days.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which maintains the arterial road, was pressed its men and machines to clear the landslides in the area.
A cop posted at Traffic Control Room Ramban told GNS that the despite the hectic efforts, the agencies concerned involved in the road clearance have cleared the highway from all the blockades today.
“As the highway was cleared from all the blockades, over 300 trucks and over 150 light motor stranded vehicles were cleared today and were allowed to move towards Kashmir,” the official said.
He said that subject to the fair weather conditions, the traffic will be allowed to move from Jammu to Srinagar tomorrow (Friday).
“The traffic will ply one way tomorrow (Friday) and the vehicles will be allowed to move from Jammu to Srinagar only,” the official said, adding that no vehicle will be allowed to move from the opposite side.(GNS)

Hotliers,shopkeepers ‘loot’stranded passengers in Jammu

Jammu, Feb 15: Kashmir bound stranded passengers staged a massive protest outside Civil Secretariat Jammu alleging that Government has left them at the mercy of Gods while in absence of any market regulation, the shopkeepers at Jammu and looting them at will.
Hundreds of Kashmir bound passengers are stranded in Jammu as the Srinagar-Jammu highway remained closed for the 4th consecutive day. The stranded passengers including women and children assembled outside Civil Secretariat on Thursday and raised anti-government slogans. They demanding air-lifting and otherfacilities including food and shelter.
The protest demonstration disrupted vehicular movement on roads while civil and police authorities rushed to spot and assured them that a langar for them will be installed for them.
Talking to this reporter some of the stranded passengers said that they have not eaten something from past two days. “Shopkeepers in Jammu particularly at Bus Stand Jammu are taking advantage of the situation and are looting us at will while authorities are in deep slumber,” they said.
Muzamil Ahmed, a resident of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district said that they are facing lot of hardships. “We have to pay Rs 20 for charging our cell phones to 20%. Barber demands Rs 100 for a shave. A cup of tea comes at a rate of Rs 15. Yesterday, when we went to airport, they demand Rs 27,000 for an air ticket,” he said.
“We have been spending our nights at the bus stand but the government is least bothered”, said a protester to CNS adding that the poor passengers are neither being provided any food nor they are being provided any shelter in such harsh conditions”.
The protesters alleged that the women, the elderly and the children are the worst sufferers of this official apathy. “The hoteliers are charging exorbitant rates from us upon which there is no check”.
Authorities pacified the protesters promising them they will be airlifted and a community kitchen will be raised for them. (CNS)