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Heavy snowfall blocks Kashmir's arterial highway
Jawahar Tunnel/Srinagar: The Jammu-Srinagar highway including the Jawahar Tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir has been closed after heavy snowfall. The 300-km-long highway connects the valley to the rest of India. GM Wadoo, Deputy Superintendent of Police, traffic, Srinagar said that the administration closed the road for the safety of the people. "There was snowfall throughout the night, and it has shown no signs of stopping. Therefore for the safety of the people, we have decided to close the highway. We have made announcements through the public address system and the electronic media that for the safety of the people the road has been closed," said Wadoo. He said the administration was working round clock to remove the snow. The Srinagar-Jammu highway passes through some of the most tricky mountain terrain in the Pir Panjal mountain range of Kashmir. The road gets blocked each time there is a heavy snowfall in the winters or landslides due to heavy summer rains.
Meanwhile,
a large number of tourists flocked to Srinagar to enjoy the winter in
Kashmir as it began to snow in the valley. People were seen playing with
snow and enjoying themselves. "We had come here to see the snow. We had
come here for our honeymoon and we are enjoying the experience very much,"
said Rajesh Sharma, a tourist. Official figures revealed that more than
610,320 tourists visited Kashmir in 2005. The state's tourism industry
was badly affected since an Islamist revolt erupted in the scenic Himalayan
state some 16 years ago. But violence has ceased after India and Pakistan,
launched new moves to make peace two years ago. The peace initiatives
have helped the state's tourism industry to improve.
-Jan 3, 2006
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