Villages near LoC remain shut for day 6

TNN Bureau. Updated: 1/15/2019 12:34:22 PM Regional News

Srinagar, Jan 15: Though snow clearance operations have already been started but there are very less chances for early reopening of most of the roads due to accumulation of several feet of snow which has also frozen due to sub zero temperature, officials said, adding there is also forecast for fresh snowfall from tomorrow besides avalanche warning.

“Roads to border towns of Machil, Keran, Karnah and Tangdhar remained closed since Thursday night, following heavy snowfall,” a Police Control Room (PCR) official told UNI over the phone from Kupwara.

Similarly, he said dozens of other far-flung and remote villages too remained cut off from their tehsil and district headquarters after closure of Sadhna top, Z-Gali, Phirkiyan and other passes due to moderate to heavy snowfall.

Meanwhile, the border town of Gurez, surrounded by Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) from three sides, besides Neeru and dozens of other villages also remained cut off from district headquarters Bandipora since Friday evening due to accumulation of snow and slippery road conditions.

Traffic on the road, which connects Gurez and other dozens of villages with Bandipora, was restored on Thursday after remaining suspended for over a week due to accumulation of snow. “But, the road was again closed on Friday evening due to snowfall,” a PCR official told TNN over the phone from Bandipora.

He said it is highly unlikely that the road will again be put through for traffic during winter months. “Huge snow has accumulated on the road, particularly at Razdan pass and the clearance operation has become very tough as the snow has become very hard due to mercury dropping several degrees below freezing point,” he said.

The district administration claimed that all essential commodities, including rice, sugar, atta and kerosene oil have been stocked in the areas which remained cut off from district and tehsil headquarters during winter.

However, efforts are being made to make sure these areas remained connected throughout the year.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner, Bandipora, Dr Shahid Choudhary in a tweet said, “That's Zahoor. The real "Khatron Ka Khiladi". There to evacuate a patient from Purana Tulel where chopper couldn't land. Rewarded him earlier. Everyone must see his courage”.

Zahoor operated a machine and cleared several feet snow on the road on Monday despite threat of avalanche to shift a patient from cut off Tulel area when helicopter could not land there.


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