Heavy snowfall cuts Kashmir Valley off for second day on a row

Srinagar: Kashmir Valley was cut off from rest of the country for the second consecutive day today as the air traffic to and fro Srinagar Airport remained suspended while the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was closed due to yesterday’s heavy snowfall. “The National Highway is closed as the road has been rendered unsafe for vehicular traffic at several places around Jawahar Tunnel due to yesterday’s snowfall,” a spokesman of the traffic department told PTI. [caption id=“attachment_1317767” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Snow covered Kashmir Valley. AFP.[/caption] The 294-km road, the only all weather road link between Kashmir and rest of the country, was closed yesterday following heavy snowfall across the Valley. The vehicular traffic on the road will be allowed only after the road is declared safe, the spokesman said adding that there were no reports of any passengers being stranded on the highway. An official of the Airport Authority of India said no flights had landed at Srinagar Airport for second day today due to the slippery runway. “So far no flight has landed or taken off from Srinagar airport,” he said. Meanwhile, normal life continued to remain affected in most parts of the Valley as the snowfall snapped electricity supply lines. The residents in most parts of the Valley are without electricity since yesterday morning. However, most of the major roads in the city and elsewhere in the Valley have been cleared off snow. The snow clearance operations are now focused on restoring link roads. There was little change in minimum temperature across the Valley but Ladakh region saw mercury rise by several degrees last night. PTI