Moderate to heavy snowfall in Kashmir Valley, transportation grounded

Srinagar, March 16 (IANS) Heavy rain and snowfall on Monday affected life across Jammu and Kashmir leading to the closure of Srinagar-Jammu highway for the second day and the suspension of the Bannihal-Baramulla train service.

The local weather office forecast inclement weather to continue for the next 12 hours till late Monday.

"Rain and snow are likely to occur across Jammu and Kashmir during the next 12 hours with possibility of heavy rain and snow at isolated places," an official of the local Met department said here.

"Two feet of fresh snowfall in the Bannihal sector and landslides in the Ramban sector of the Srinagar-Jammu highway have hampered road clearance operations due to which no traffic will be allowed today," a senior traffic department official said.

The highway was shut for traffic yesterday afternoon due to landslides in Ramban sector for over 300-Kilometre long road that forms the landlocked valley's only land connection with the rest of the country.

Baramulla-Bannihal train service has also been suspended today due to snow accumulation on the track.

Air traffic to and from the Valley was stalled in the morning due to poor visibility.

The authorities ordered the suspension of all classes upto 5th standard in schools across the Valley because of snowfall.

There has been over one and half feet snowfall during the night at the ski resort of Gulmarg and Pahalgam in the Valley.

Moderate snowfall continued during the night in Srinagar city and all other plains of the Valley.

"Srinagar city recorded 0.6 Celsius, Gulmarg minus 0.5 Celsius, Pahalgam 0.0 Celsius, Leh minus 1.6 Celsius, Kargil minus 8.0 Celsius and Jammu city 11.4 Celsius as the minimum temperatures today," the official said.