Snowfall affects rail, air, road travel in Kashmir

Srinagar, Feb 28 (PTI) Overnight snowfall affected rail, air and road connectivity on Friday as most parts of Kashmir were draped in a layer of white, officials said.

Landslides, mudslides and shooting stones were reported along the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, they said.

While the plains were lashed with rains, the higher reaches of the valley, including the tourist resorts of Gulmarg, Sonamarg, and Pahalgam, received moderate to heavy snowfall. Srinagar, meanwhile, saw light snowfall.

The weather is likely to improve from Friday afternoon, according to the weather office.

The inclement weather affected traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, and disrupted rail connectivity, as well as flight operations at the Srinagar airport here.

The Srinagar-Jammu national highway was blocked due to snow accumulation between Ramsoo and Qazigund, while shooting stones, landslides, and mudslides occurred at many places along the arterial road — which is the only all-weather road between the valley and the rest of the country, officials said.

Several other roads, including the Srinagar-Leh highway, SSG Road, and Mughal Road — the alternate road link between Kashmir and Jammu — were also closed.

All morning flights were delayed due to the weather, the officials said. Flight operations resumed after 11 am after the weather improved, they said.

Train services on the Budgam-Baramulla section were affected due to accumulation of heavy snow accumulation along the tracks.