Snow envelops Patnitop, about 110 km from Jammu, the winter capital of Indian controlled Kashmir, Nov. 8, 2019. Hundreds of trucks laden with food items and fruit Friday remained stranded on highway for the second-straight day in Indian-controlled Kashmir, as surface link to the region remains snowbound and closed. Snowfall and heavy rains lashed the region including plains on Wednesday evening and continued until Thursday night, blocking surface and air links to the region, besides causing a major power outage. (Str/Xinhua)
SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of trucks laden with food items and fruit Friday remained stranded on highway for the second-straight day in Indian-controlled Kashmir, as surface link to the region remains snowbound and closed.
The road was blocked following accumulation of snow near Banihal and drifting of landslides in Ramban area, south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
"There are hundreds of vehicles stranded on both sides of the road," a traffic police official told Xinhua. "From Srinagar side hundreds of trucks carrying apples to outside are stranded right from Qazigund and on the other side hundreds of trucks carrying essential food supplies to Srinagar are stranded right from Jammu."
According to the official, the movement of vehicular traffic has been suspended in wake of slippery condition of the road because of snow and scattered debris at several places.
The vehicles were stranded near Mir Bazar, Qazigund, Banihal, Nagrota, Udhampur, Ramban, Sidhra, Samba and Kathua areas on the highway.
Snowfall and heavy rains lashed the region including plains on Wednesday evening and continued until Thursday night, blocking surface and air links to the region, besides causing a major power outage.
Local media reports put the number of stranded vehicles over 4000. However, traffic officials said it was difficult to get the exact number as traffic has been halted at several places on the highway.
Jammu is the winter capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir and all the major government offices migrate from Srinagar during winters and set up offices in Jammu.
The 294 km Srinagar-Jammu highway is the only road link connecting Muslim majority areas of the region to Jammu and Indian states.
Officials said they would not allow the movement of traffic unless road is cleared properly and made safe to ply on.
"We are not allowing traffic either from Jammu or Srinagar unless debris of landslides and snow on road is cleared," the official said. "People have been requested to contact traffic control rooms before embarking on journey on this road."
At least seven people, including two troopers, were killed and many injured due to snowfall related incidents.
Normal life in the region was badly affected due to the snowfall, which many say was untimely. Wednesday's snowfall was the season's first in the region. Last year also snowfall hit the region in the first week of November.
