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Mughal road closed for traffic, 180 vehicles trapped in snow cleared
Heavy rain and hail-storm hit Pir Panjal region including Rajouri and Poonch besides some other parts of the J&K UT while historical Mughal road was today closed for traffic movement after fresh snowfall at Pir Ki Gali where over 180 vehicles were stuck and later cleared by the administration in the evening.
Official sources said that scores of vehicles were stranded for many hours after fresh snow fall at Pir Ki Gali and its adjoining area on Mughal road, near about one and half feet snow was accumulated after which stranded commuters urged the administration to rescue them. Later, the snow clearance operation was started and passengers were rescued.
Sub Divisional Magistrate Surankote, Farooq Khan Nazki said that the snow clearance operation was started by the Border Roads Organizations (BRO), snow was cleared on Mughal road and the stranded vehicles were rescued and moved to their respective destinations. He said further, movement on Mughal road is subjected to the fair weather conditions.
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A senior Traffic Police official said that following fresh snowfall in the upper reaches of Pir Panjal, the movement of vehicles has been temporarily stalled on the Mughal Road as a precautionary measure via Pir Ki Gali, ensuring the safety of commuters.
He said the strategic Mughal Road, which connects Shopian with the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch, witnessed sudden snowfall, leading to slippery conditions and reduced visibility. As a result, vehicular movement was halted to prevent any untoward incidents.
The Traffic official further said that about 180 vehicles were stranded and trapped near Pir Ki Gali due to snowfall the inclement weather conditions. A coordinated rescue operation was launched by the BRO, local police and traffic police officials and the stranded passengers were rescued. He said the commuters are advised to avoid traveling on the Mughal Road till the weather conditions improve.
Reports said heavy rain amidst thunder and hail-storm, was experienced in Poonch, Mandi, Surankote, Mendhar, Rajouri, Thannamandi, Kotranka. Manjakote, Nowshera, Kalakote and some hilly areas of Reasi district. The rain started in Pir Panjal belt around 11 AM and continued till evening. Hail-storm was also witnessed in many areas of these two districts and it caused damage to the fruit trees.
The MeT office said that Poonch recorded a rainfall of 50.5 mm while Rajouri 45.0 mm during last 12 hours. Baramulla recorded a rainfall of 13.8 mm, Srinagar 12.0 mm, Anantnag 11. 0 mm, Badgam 8.0 mm and Reasi 6.2 mm rainfall.
A sharp drop in temperatures at various places in the region has also been experienced with the rain at scattered places and snowfall on the higher reaches.
A MeT official has predicted brief spell of light rain/ thundershowers at scattered places towards afternoon on May 5. He further said that from May 6 to 9 the weather will generally remain dry.
Meanwhile, Jammu recorded a day temperature of 30.4 deg C, about 6 degrees below normal; Katra 25.6 deg C, hill resort of Bhaderwah 18.5 deg C, Batote 19.0 deg while Banihal town registered 22.2 deg C temperature on Monday.
Gulmarg in Kashmir recorded the day temperature of 11.0 deg C , Pahalgam 16.8 deg while Srinagar 20.5 deg C today. The night temperatures, at Gulmarg and Pahalgam tourist resorts, however, remained 2.0 and 6.0 deg C, respectively.
Reports said light rain lashed parts of Kashmir today, while the upper reaches received moderate to heavy rainfall, as weatherman forecast a continued wet spell across Jammu and Kashmir over the next 24 hours. Meteorological Department (MeT) said that J&K is expected to witness cool and wet weather amid erratic weather conditions.
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“Widespread parts of Jammu and Kashmir are expected to receive above-normal rainfall during the month of May, with continuous cloud cover and precipitation,” the Meteorological Department said.
“This will effectively end the region’s 24 per cent rainfall deficit, which stood at 54 per cent in February before coming down to 34 per cent in March and April. Both day and night temperatures are likely to remain on the lower side amid fluctuating weather conditions.”
The intermittent rain and hailstorms, along with gusty winds and thunderstorms, have hit several parts of south and north Kashmir since late Friday evening. The hailstorms caused widespread damage to orchards, while water-logging was reported in low-lying areas of Srinagar.
“Light to moderate intermittent rainfall will continue in several areas, with a few places likely to receive short spells of heavy thundershowers over the next two days,” an official said.
“There is a possibility of thunder/lightning /hailstorm/gusty winds (40-50 KMPH) at few places across J&K,” he added.