KU defers exams because of snow
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The 270-km Jammu-Srinagar highway was on Sunday reopened for vehicular traffic after a day-long closure due to heavy snowfall, allowing stranded vehicles to proceed to their respective destinations, officials said.
However, several other important inter-district routes, including the Mughal Road, Sinthan Pass, Sonamarg-Kargil inter-UT road, and Bhaderwah-Chamba inter-state road, remained closed for vehicular traffic due to heavy snowfall.
Meanwhile, Kashmir University has postponed all exams scheduled for Monday in view of the inclement weather.
The information was shared by the varsity in a statement.
The varsity spokesperson said fresh dates for the postponed papers will be notified later separately.
“The highway has been reopened today following the clearance of snow accumulated on various stretches of the road,” a traffic official said.
The stranded vehicles along the highway are being cleared, he added.
J-K Traffic Police said in an advisory, “Passenger traffic is plying on the highway. Commuters are advised to follow lane discipline, as overtaking may cause congestion.”
It also advised commuters to drive cautiously, as the road is slippery between Banihal and Qazigund.
The Mughal Road, which serves as an alternative link to the Kashmir Valley from Jammu region’s Poonch district, remained shut due to snow accumulation, officials said.
Similarly, the Sinthan Pass in Kishtwar has been closed for vehicular traffic due to heavy snowfall.
In addition, the Sonamarg-Kargil inter-UT road and the Bhaderwah-Chamba inter-state road are also closed owing to heavy snowfall.
Efforts are underway to clear these roads and make them trafficable, officials said.
Air traffic to and fro the Srinagar International Airport was also restored a day after heavy snowfall forced cancellation of all flights to the Kashmir valley.
“The flights to Srinagar have resumed and we expect normal operations,” an official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) told PTI.
He said the flight operations had to be suspended on Saturday following heavy snowfall since Friday evening.
“The runways were cleared and all safety checks done before the flight operations were resumed,” the official added.
Kashmir witnessed the first major snowfall of the season on Friday evening and it continued till Saturday.
Besides affecting the flight operations, the snowfall also forced a closure of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, while train services were also suspended.
However, the highway has been cleared now and passenger vehicles are being allowed to ply but motorists have been advised to follow lane discipline.
