Dozens of far-flung, remote villages remain cut off in north Kashmir

Srinagar, Mar 22 : Dozens of far-flung and remote villages, including those near the Line of Control (LoC), remained cut off from their respective district and tehsil headquarters, due to closure of Phirkiyan top and Razdan pass in north Kashmir.

However, despite avalanche warning, the Sadhna Pass and Z-Gali are through for traffic.

The national highway, connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country, was open for only one-way. n Thursday, traffic will ply from Jammu to Srinagar and no vehicle will be allowed from the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, snow clearance operation was going on war footing on Srinagar-Leh national highway and the historic Mughal road, which was closed since December last year.

The Phirkiyan top remained closed due to accumulation of heavy snow and avalanche threat, an official of the Police Control Unit (PCU) in Kupwara told TNN over phone, adding that snow clearance machine driver was killed in a snow avalanche on the top.

He said snow clearance operation has already started on the Phirkiyan top, which connects dozens of far-flung and remote villages with Kupwara.

A fresh low danger avalanche warning was issued on Wednesday evening for the next 24 hours for Baramulla, Gulmarg, Furkian, Z-Gali and Kupwara-Chowkibal-Tangdhar, Bandipora and Kanzalwan-Gurez sector in north Kashmir.

However, traffic was plying on Sadhna pass and Z-Gali, connecting remote and far-flung villages with Kupwara.

This winter, there was very less snowfall as compared to previous years, with the result the passes remained open for most period.

The Razdan pass, connecting Bandipora with border towns of Gurez, Neeru and other far-flung and remote villages, mostly near the LoC surrounded by the 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 TNN over phone from Bandipora. There is also a threat of avalanche in the area, he added.

However, the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway was through for one-way traffic only. Vehicles will ply from Jammu to Srinagar and no vehicle, including security force convoy, would be allowed from opposite direction on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a traffic police official advised people, undertaking the journey on the highway, not to park their vehicles at any landslide, vulnerable or avalanche-prone zones of highway, especially from Jawahar Tunnel - Ramban and Jawahar Tunnel-Lower Munda, under any circumstance.

Major snow clearance operation was going on, despite avalanche threat to put through the national highway, connecting Ladakh region with Kashmir.

''It would take about two weeks to clear the snow on road, particularly at Zojila pass, Zero point and Meenmarg. If everything goes normal, the road would be open in the first week of April,'' officials said.

Meanwhile, snow clearance was going on a war footing to put through the 86-km-long historic Mughal road, linking Shopian in south Kashmir, with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu regions.