Some areas hit by several feet of snow in past two days. Majority of roads closed for third straight day. Water and electricity shut off for third straight day. All flights cancelled. Fuel being rationed. Two houses collapsed Others damaged.
6 Jan 21 – Normal life in Kashmir remained disrupted as the region continued to witness heavy snowfall.
Parts of the valley, including Srinagar, received record snowfall unseen here over the last ten years. Weather officials claimed that the rain or snow received is almost one-third of the all-time high recorded in 1930.
The snowfall has snapped all aerial and road connectivity to and from the Kashmir Valley with all inbound and outbound flights cancelled for the third day. The near-300 km long Srinagar-Jammu highway and the Mughal route have also been closed to all vehicular movement. A majority of routes, including arterial roads, remained blocked as snow accumulated.
Srinagar has witnessed over 14 inches of snow since Monday and parts of south Kashmir like Shopian and Kulgam have witnessed several feet of snow in the past two days. Most areas in both south and north Kashmir witnessed disruption in electricity and water supply for a third day in a row.
Commuters in Srinagar – including those on the main hospital roads – were stuck at several places due to the roads having been uncleared since Tuesday. Due to inaccessibility, patients from outside Srinagar and far-off rural areas faced challenges in reaching healthcare centers. A woman from south Kashmir’s Shopian gave birth to a child on a stretcher while being carried to a hospital on Tuesday.
At least two houses reportedly collapsed in Budgam’s Khag area, and three residential houses were damaged due to snow in the Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
The Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir region, Pandorang K. Pole, has directed the rationing of fuel, LPG and other essentials as a “precautionary measure” in the wake of the fresh snowfall. He however, asked people not to “panic”.
The Srinagar district administration claimed that it had been working to clear the snow and restore services.
“With unrelenting snowfall this has been an unprecedented situation. Please continue to cooperate with us — we appreciate it. Thanks,” its official twitter handle said.
The Apni Party accused the administration of being “caught napping” in the wake of fresh snowfall.
Thanks to Clay Olson for this link
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January 7, 2021 at 01:42PM