Heavy snowfall brings normal life to a halt in Kashmir; all National Highways closed, flights, trains affected

Jammu and Kashmir received the season's first major spell of snowfall Sunday, disrupting surface traffic and affecting normal life in the region. The Srinagar Jammu National Highway which connects Kashmir to rest of India has been shut. Srinagar-Leh Highway and other major roads connecting far-flung areas of Kashmir with Srinagar are also closed.

The bad weather also affected air traffic to and from the Valley as flight operations at the Srinagar airport were suspended. The Srinagar Airport in a statement said, “Our visibility is only 200 metres and there is continuous snowfall. We are simultaneously clearing the snow. All flights are delayed. To avoid inconvenience and to avoid congestion, please check the status of your flight from your airlines before coming to the airport."

All train services in the Kashmir region have also been suspended. “The train service will remain suspended until the snow on the railway line is removed. The railway will resume its operations as soon as the snow is cleared. After the snow is cleared, WDS 4 will go first, then the train is expected to run,” said a statement by Kashmir Railways.

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In wake of the fresh snowfall, the government has rescheduled all the Post Graduate exams in the Valley. “All PG, engineering and other examinations scheduled to be held on January 30, 2023 (Monday) (have been) postponed in view of inclement weather conditions. Fresh dates for the deferred examinations will be notified separately later,” said Controller Examinations Kashmir University.

The meteorological department has predicted light to moderate snow across Kashmir region today.

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