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Kashmir highway blocked after heavy snowfall
Srinagar:
The traffic on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was
blocked on Sunday as the Kashmir valley received the first
snowfall of the season. Srinagar shivered as temperature
dipped and the region received a fresh spell of snowfall
to the delight of the locals expecting tourists. The upper
reaches of the valley experienced heavy snowfall pushing
the temperature down. With Srinagar city witnessing a
freezing temperature, the strategic 300-kilometre-long
National Highway 1-A was blocked leading to disruption
of traffic. "We have been stranded here since long. We
have no information as to when the highway would reopen.
If we get to know something it is ok, else we will either
go back to Srinagar. It has been more than two to three
hours that we have been here and I don't know how much
more time it would take," said Reema Roy, a tourist. The
highway is valley's jugular vein connecting Indian Kashmir
with rest of the country.
The
snowfall has affected normal life in the valley with locals
preferring to stay indoors. "It is really very cold and
we don't even have anything to eat. We had no information
in the morning that the highway would be blocked," said
Amrit Singh, a truck driver. According to reports, thousands
of vehicles have been stranded at several places on the
300-km long stretch as authorities are trying to clear
the way. Trees, buildings, roads, are all covered in white
with snow flakes occasionally falling adding to the joyous
atmosphere around. "We are experiencing heavy snowfall
and this augurs well for Kashmir. The problem here is
that if there is snow, the water bodies will receive water
also and that will solve our electricity problem also.
Another issue that we have is unemployment and with this
heavy snowfall, we will have more tourists thronging the
region. With tourist arrivals, all of us would have work,
the auto drivers and the taxi drivers," said Tariq Ahmed,
a local. Others like Ghulam Muhammad said that the 4-inch
deep snowfall in valley has brought back cheer to the
tourism industry as well. "Kashmir is symbolic with snowfall
because tourists come to visit Gulmarg and Pehelgam. Tourists
come to enjoy snowfall, they come here for skiing and
the economy is because of snowfall," said Muhammad. Hordes
of tourists throng the Himalayan region for revelry on
its world famous snow clad picturesque slopes. The state
of Jammu and Kashmir is a well known tourist destination
for winter activities such as snow boarding, sledge rides,
gondola (cable car) and snow skiing. Tourism is one of
the mainstays of the state's economy.
-Jan
18, 2009
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