Srinagar: The Srinagar-Jammu highway remained closed on Wednesday, for the third consecutive day, after an avalanche hit the Jawahar Tunnel. Officials said that no vehicular movement would be allowed on the highway keeping the safety of travellers in mind.
“The decision regarding allowing the movement of traffic on the highway will be taken only after the road is cleared off by the road maintenance agency concerned and after assessing weather as well as road condition,” the official said.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which maintains the Jawahar tunnel stretch of the highway, pressed its men and machines to clear the road of the accumulated snow.
“We are expecting the highway to be open for traffic by late afternoon. However, only the stranded vehicles will be allowed to move on the highway once we get the green signal,” he said.
Hundreds of vehicles, mostly trucks, are stranded at various places along the highway, the only all weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country, officials said.
Bright sunshine was seen in the Jammu division after incessant rains and snowfall in the higher reaches since Monday. Weather in the Kashmir Valley though remained generally dry, but it was cloudy.
“Weather is likely to improve as the day progresses. The western disturbance (WD) that caused the precipitation has weakened,” an official of the MET department said.
Srinagar, the summer capital of the state recorded a low of minus 0.3 while the mercury in Qazigund in south Kashmir settled at a low of minus 2.0 degrees Celsius.
The ski resort Gulmarg was at minus 10.6 and tourist destination Pahalgam was at minus 5.5.
Leh town in Ladakh was at minus 5.6 and Kargil minus 15.4, Drass was the coldest at minus 16.6.
Jammu city was at 8.3, Katra 4.6, Batote minus 2.4, while Bannihal and Bhaderwah both recorded minus 0.3 degrees Celsius.
