Dozens of villages remain cut off, fresh snowfall at Sadhna, Phirkiyan, Z-Gali

Srinagar, Mar 15 : Dozens of far-flung and remote villages, including those near the Line of Control (LoC), remained cut off with their respective district and tehsil headquarters on Thursday in north Kashmir, where fresh snowfall was experienced at Sadhna top, Z-Gali, Phirkiyan and Razdan pass during the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, fresh avalanche warning has already been issued for Kupwara-Chowkibal-Tangdhar, Baramulla, Gulmarg, Furkian-Z Gali, Gurez, Bandipora in north Kashmir.

Fresh snowfall was received in upper reaches, including all passes in north Kashmir while intermittent rain was received in the plains, including Kupwara town during the past 24 hrs.

All passes, including Sadhna, Phirkiyan and Z-Gali, remained closed for any traffic movement following to accumulation of fresh snowfall due to which road has become very slippery, an official of Police Control Room (PCR) told TNN over phone from Kupwara on Thursday.

He said due to closure of these passes, dozens of village, including those near LoC, including Keran, Karnah, Tangdhar and Machil were cut off with their district headquarters. However, he said the snow clearance operation will be taken up when there is some improvement in the weather. It will take three to four days to put through these passes again, he said.

In the first week of January, 11 people, including an official of Border Roads Organisation (BRO), were killed after being swept away by an avalanche at Sadhna pass while a driver of BRO lost his life when a snow clearance machine came under an avalanche at Phirkiyan. However, due to less snowfall during this winter, the passes remained open for most period.

The Razdan pass, connecting Bandipora with border town of Gurez, Neeru and other far-flung and remote villages, mostly near LoC surrounded by Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) from three sides, remained closed since December last year due to accumulation of snow and slippery road conditions. The road is likely to reopen next month, a Police Control Room (PCR) official told UNI over phone from Bandipora. There is also a threat of avalanche in the area, he said.