At least 40 passengers continued to remain stranded at Sadhna-Top in northern Kupwara district for the second consecutive day Saturday amid heavy snowfall. The stranded passengers, who were on way from Kupwara to Tangdhar and vice-versa got stuck at Sadhna-Top on Friday afternoon following heavy snowfall in the area, according to an official.
A 75-year-old woman, who was among such passengers, died due to cold at Sadhna-Top last evening, the police had said.
Zubair Ahmad, a stranded passenger, lamented that people of Kupwara are dying in absence of a tunnel on Sadhna-Top, which has been their long-pending demand.
Last year, at least 11 persons lost their lives in a road accident at Sadhna-Top. “This tunnel could provide us round-the-year connectivity and also ensure safety of commuters from Tangdhar to Kupwara and vice-versa,” said a group of residents from Kupwara town. “This road may well be cleared within days but what about the precious lives we are losing due to absence of the tunnel every now and then?” they questioned.
A source said the body of the woman is still lying at an army camp in Sadhna-Top.
“The stranded passengers have been provided accommodation in the army camp,” a police official said.
Due to continuous snowfall in Kupwara on Saturday, local transporters suspended traffic on several roads.
“The roads have become slippery which can cause damage to our vehicles and lead to accidents. That is why we suspended traffic on many routes,” said president of Kupwara transporters’ association, Jehangir Ahmad.
The roads connecting border areas like Tangdhar, Keran and Machil are closed for the past days.
The snow at Sadhna-Top has crossed over three-foot depth, while it has accumulated at Farkiyan and Z-Gali at a depth of five-foot. A Kupwara administration official said electricity was restored in most parts of the district Saturday.
“Out of 67 grid stations, 55 are supplying electricity this time. We have restored electricity in many areas, and are trying to restore it in other areas as soon as possible,” said a power department official. Deputy commissionerKupwara Khalid Jehangir said the interior roads leading to with arterial ones in Kupwara and Handwara are still closed.
“We have only 11 snow machines available here, but to speed up clearance of blocked roads, we have pressed 30 JCB machines into service,” he said. “I appeal people to keep patience. All officials are working tirelessly to restore basic needs and connectivity in their respective areas.” Meanwhile, in the wake of heavy snowfall and closure of roads, a pregnant woman was taken to Langate hospital in Handwara on a horse-drawn wagon from Panditpora area on Saturday. A relative of the woman said she was suffering from an acute pain since morning, but the roads were blocked due to heavy snowfall. “We couldn’t think of a way to take her to hospital. Our neighbour came to our rescue and used his horse-drawn wagon to evacuate her,” said Mumtaz Ahmad.
The patient was taken from Panditpora to Humpora, covering a distance of around five kilometers, before the police provided the family a vehicle to take her to Langate hospital. “We reached the hospital safely and are waiting for good news,” Mumtaz said.