Srinagar, Jan 19: Kashmir heaved a sigh of relief on Saturday with improvement in weather following two days of snowfall.
The weatherman predicted dry weather in the Valley for the next week. While air traffic resumed this afternoon, the Srinagar-Jammu highway was opened to clear stranded vehicles. The weather started to improve all across the Valley this morning giving relief to Kashmiris who witnessed heavy to moderate snowfall for the past two days.
“There has been no report of rainfall or snowfall after fresh spell early morning today,” said Director Meteorological Department Sonam Lotus. He said the coming week would remain dry and Kashmir would witness increase in day temperature.
However, the night temperature would drop by 3-4 degrees during the period, Lotus said. The improvement in weather was accompanied by problems of water-logging particularly in summer capital and major towns of the Valley.
The water-logging usually gets compounded in the city and its outskirts due to poor drainage system.
However, life started limping back to normalcy with people including businessmen returning to their routine work. The city roads witnessed normal traffic movement, too.
Kashmir Valley including Srinagar experienced snowfall ranging between eight inches to six feet over the past three days
However, some places including hilly resorts received fresh snowfall during the last night.

AIR TRAFFIC RESTORED
“The traffic would be allowed from Jammu to Srinagar tomorrow,” said the spokesman.
The air traffic resumed after one day suspension of flights yesterday. The Director Airport OP Buwaniwala said all flights scheduled from Srinagar to Jammu/New Delhi operated though there was some delay.
“We also received flights from outside to Srinagar,” he said.

AVALANCHE NEAR JAWAHAR TUNNEL:
Earlier two avalanches were reported to have hit areas near Jawahar Tunnel, along the Srinagar-Jammu highway. However, no loss to life or property was reported.
“The avalanches were reported from near Jawahar Tunnel and the Titanic point, located at a few hundred meters from the Tunnel,” reports said.

PEOPLE COMPLAIN:
In many districts like Bandipora people accused government of failing to restore power supply and clear snow from roads.
An official spokesman said the electricity supply was restored in Srinagar and other major towns.
“Efforts are on to restore the power supply to far flung areas," he said.

75 TRAPPED ON JAMMU-POONCH HIGHWAY RESCUED
Security forces have rescued 75 people trapped on the Jammu-Poonch highway in Rajouri district following heavy snowfall, a police spokesman said here today.
A joint team of army and police launched an operation in snow-bound area on the highway in Bhimber Gali, 195-km from here, and rescued nearly 75 people on the intervening night of January 18-19, he said.
Nineteen women and a child were among those trapped at Bhimber Gali, the spokesman said.
The trapped people were rescued by the Rajouri Police with the help of army, he said adding all of them were brought to 124 Infantry Battalion (TA) headquarters in Manjakote area.
SP (Rajouri) Mubassir Latifi said these people, looked after by the administration, would be allowed to move after road clearance.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 19 Jan 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 19 Jan 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 20 Jan 2013 00:00:00 IST