The Srinagar-Jammu highway remained closed for the second consecutive day on Tuesday even as air traffic was restored on Tuesday. Amid continuous snowfall and poor visibility, all 22-flights were canceled on Monday.

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.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (National Highway) Vishal Manhas while talking to GNS said that they have cleared the stranded traffic.

 “Around 200 vehicles including some passenger vehicles which were stranded since yesterday in Banihal and were allowed to move towards Kashmir”, Manhas said, adding that at some place in Ramban sector there were shooting stones and landslides which led to the closure of the road.

There was an improvement in the weather condition in Banihal sector and the snow clearance process was almost completed in the morning at Jawahar tunnel and its adjacent areas, Manhas said.

He said that traffic might be opened tomorrow if there was no fresh snowfall or rains.

While as the authorities have also allowed around 140 light motor vehicles and 240 trucks laden with essential items from Udhampur towards Kashmir, however, on reaching Ramban they were stopped again due to the fresh landslides and shooting stones at Anokhi Fal and Panthyal areas.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which maintains the arterial road, has pressed its men and machines immediately to restore the traffic on the road but landslides and shooting of stones, triggered by rains, hampered the efforts.

No movement of traffic, either from Jammu or Srinagar, was allowed on Monday as well, a spokesman for the Traffic Control Room at Jammu said.

Efforts are on to clear the highway of the blockades at various places including Anookhi fall, Panthyal, Ramsoo, Karol, Mehar, and Nashri.

A MET department official said there could be rain or snow in some areas in the next 24 hours.

 “Light rain/snow would occur at isolated places over the higher reaches of J&K in next 24-hours,” the official said. 

The official said that Srinagar recorded a low of -minus 0.6 and maximum of 5.7.

He said Gulmarg – the ski resort place-in north Kashmir settled at minus 2.5 degrees Celsius. The ski resort had a low of minus 10.5 degrees Celsius.

Kargil and Leh townships in Ladakh region recorded a minimum of minus 14 and minus 5.4 degrees Celsius and a maximum of minus 5.0 and minus 1.0 respectively, the spokesman said.

The Pahalgam hill resort in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 7.9 and a maximum of 4.7degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, SDMA issued high danger avalanche warning in Kashmir Valley

 “On the basis of information received from SASE, the J&K 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,” an official in a statement issued here said.

Medium danger avalanche warning has been issued for Kargil district. Low danger warning for Poonch, Rajouri, Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Udhampur, Kulgam, Budgam and Leh districts and Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the official said.

People living in avalanche prone areas have been advised by the Disaster Management Authority to take precautionary measures, the official added.