Srinagar, Jan 27: Vehicular traffic was restored on the 300-km long Srinagar-Jammu highway, a day after it was closed due to gas leakage from a LPG tanker.
“The highway has been reopened for vehicular traffic and situation defused,” said Superintendent of Police, Ramban, Anil Magotra.
Magotra, who had been supervising the operation till late last night, said an expert team of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation arrived at 6.00 pm and with controlled technique entire LPG tanker was emptied by late night. “Later the entire stretch of the highway was washed by the water tenders,” he said, adding that electric supply, mobile service were still disconnected and other fire triggering devices have been banned in the area. Leakage of gas was reported last afternoon from a 12,000-litre LPG gas tanker when it reached Nashri area. The LPG gas tanker of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation was on its way to Srinagar when the incident took place at Nashri, 125-kms from here.

VALLEY FREEZES
Kashmir Valley continued to shiver Friday as the mercury remained below the freezing point in most areas of the region.
The famous ski resort of Gulmarg remained the coldest place in the Valley with night temperatures there settling at a low of minus 11.8 degrees Celsius, a MeT official said.
The Gulmarg resort also received fresh snowfall measuring 1.4 millimeters.
The minimum temperature in Srinagar city was recorded at minus 2.2 degrees Celsius, a drop of 1.4 degrees from last night.
In south Kashmir’s tourist resort of Pahalgam, the minimum temperature fell by 0.8 degrees to settle at minus 9.8 degrees Celsius, the official said.
The resort also received traces of snowfall measuring 1.0 millimeters, he said.
Qazigund, gateway town to Kashmir Valley, recorded a sharp decrease of 5.2 degrees from last night as the town recorded a minimum of minus 7.0 degrees Celsius.
North Kashmir’s frontier Kupwara town recorded a low of minus 3.5 degrees Celsius, the official said.
Night temperatures in Leh town of the remote Ladakh region fell by 7.4 degrees from last night as the minimum temperature there was recorded at minus 21.6 degrees Celsius, a MeT official said.
This season, the minimum temperature in Leh town has so far plunged to as low as minus 22.2 degrees Celsius.

IAF RESUMES RESCUE OPERATIONS
The Indian Air Force (IAF) resumed its rescue operations to airlift as many as 190 people trapped in snow-hit Kishtwar district of the state.
Braving piercing snow waves and extreme cold conditions, IAF’s MI-17 choppers were back to business after operations remained suspended yesterday due to Republic Day.
“A fresh air rescue operation was launched by the Jammu-based IAF’s 130 Helicopter Unit in Kishtwar district since early this morning despite poor visibility, blowing snow waves and minus 9 degrees Celsius (Temperature),” defense spokesman, Jammu, S N Acharya said.
He said till now, over 40 passengers have been airlifted and all of them are likely to be evacuated today.
The operations were launched on a request by the state government to ferry people stranded in highly snow-hit areas of Sonder, Dachin, Marwah and Nawapachin in the district since January 7.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:00:00 IST