By IANS
Srinagar : Scores of houses across the Kashmir valley have collapsed and normal life remained crippled Thursday as the season’s heaviest snowfall kept the Srinagar-Jammu national highway closed for the fourth consecutive day.
“Dozens of people have been injured in these house collapse incidents, but luckily no death has been reported from anywhere so far,” a senior police officer said here.
Due to heavy snowfall in the valley, many houses collapsed in Srinagar, Anantnag, Shopian, Kulgam and Ganderbal districts.
Reports reaching here from the Kupwara border district said seven troopers were trapped as heavy snowfall buried their bunker on the Line of Control (LOC) in the Nagam sector.
Efforts are on to rescue the trapped troopers, sources said.
An avalanche in Harigam village of Kulgam district swept away four houses, but fortunately all the residents had fled the village before the disaster struck.
The strategic Srinagar-Jammu highway remained closed for the fourth consecutive day Thursday as nearly nine feet of snow had accumulated at the Jawahar Tunnel area of the road.
“Some 1,200 vehicles are stranded at various safe places on the highway as heavy snowfall and landslides are hampering the road restoration efforts,” said an official of the traffic department.
The only road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country in winter was closed Monday.
All incoming flights to Srinagar had to be cancelled for the third consecutive day Wednesday as bad weather and poor visibility closed the valley’s only civilian airport near the summer capital.
A red alert has been sounded across the valley and all the district magistrates have been instructed to remain stationed at the disaster management control rooms set up at all district headquarters.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is presently in winter capital Jammu, has instructed administrations in the valley to ensure road clearance operations and electric supply.
“The civil authorities have been asked to seek help from the security forces if need arises to organise relief and rescue operations.
“The chief minister had already spoken to Kashmir’s inspector general of police who has been told to coordinate and supervise the assistance from the security forces,” an official of the chief minister’s office told IANS.
Snow clearance in this city started even before the break of the dawn to ensure that all main traffic arteries remained open to facilitate relief operations in case of emergencies.
The valley has been experiencing severe shortages of mutton for many days, as dealers here allege their supplies are blocked by some animal rights activists in Haryana state.
Shortages of domestic LPG have also been reported from many places here. Meanwhile, University of Kashmir has postponed all examinations scheduled for Feb 7, 8 and 9.
The weather office here said the present conditions are likely to continue at least till Friday.
There is over nine feet of snow accumulated in the Banihal area, six feet in Pahalgam, four feet in Shopian, three feet in Kulgam and four feet in Qazigund in south Kashmir.
Seven feet of snowfall was recorded at Gulmarg and ten feet in Sonamarg in north Kashmir while four feet was reported from the upper reaches of the central Badgam district. Srinagar and its adjoining areas have witnessed six inches of snowfall.