WALKING ON ICE: People protect themselves from snow with umbrellas on a street in Srinagar, which received its first snowfall of the season on Monday. The Jammu-Srinagar highway is being closed after heavy snowfall around the Jawahar tunnel. — Photo: Nissar Ahmad

SRINAGAR: Heavy snowfall disrupted normal life Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir on Monday. The valley remained cut off as the Srinagar-Jammu national highway was closed and air traffic suspended. The meteorological office here has warned of heavy snowfall in the next 48 hours.

Snow in Uri and Tangdhar is adding to the problems of quake survivors.

Dies in house collapse

Ghulam Rasool (75) of Uri was killed as his house collapsed following heavy rain, said an official.

A five-foot deep snowfall has been recorded at Sadhna top, the highest link connecting Kashmir with Tangdhar. The road is closed and in Teetwal also life has been hit. Tents have been abandoned and people are confined to temporary shelters, which came up in the last two months.

On Sunday morning Srinagar experienced the season's first snowfall. Apprehending a repeat of the situation at Waltengu in south Kashmir, where 450 persons died in heavy snow in February last, people were desperately arranging for supplies of essential commodities.

Snow clearance difficult

Authorities moved in snow cutters in Srinagar and other major towns. "But the job is becoming difficult as snowfall does not stop," said an official.

Most of the shops in the city remained closed and traffic was disrupted.

However, "We have enough stocks of kerosene, gas and other items for three weeks," Basharat Ahmed Dhar, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, told The Hindu. He convened a high-level meeting of the disaster management group and directed all the departments to gear themselves to face the situation.

With heavy snowfall in Qazigund and areas adjoining Banihal, the 300-km Srinagar-Jammu highway has been closed.

A traffic police official said 300 trucks and some passenger vehicles were stranded.

All flights coming to Srinagar were cancelled as it was difficult to make the runway operational. The last flight for Haj pilgrims was also cancelled. Traffic between Srinagar, Baramulla and Kupwara was suspended. Link roads in the interior of Baramulla, Kupwara and Anantnag districts have also been closed.

Power supply hit

Power supply was disrupted as the main transmission line from the Northern Grid developed a technical fault at Batote. All examinations have been postponed indefinitely.

With a more than seven-foot snowfall recorded in Gulmarg in Kashmir, many tourists were stranded. They had arrived there on December 31 to celebrate New Year. Sources said over 50 persons were evacuated on Monday.In Pahalgam the snow pile-up on the ground was more than five feet. The same was the problem in the Sonamarg tourist resort on the Srinagar-Leh road. Snowfall was also reported in parts of Trikuta Hills, where the Vaishnodevi cave shrine is located; the resort of Patini Top, Kishtwar, Doda, Baderwah and upper reaches of Rajouri and Poonch and the Pir Panjal ranges.

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