JAMMU, JAN 14
Passenger Light Motor Vehicles shall be allowed from Jammu towards srinagar (only one way) in view of continuous shooting stones on Jammu-Srinagar highway on Saturday, officials said.
As per the advisory of Jammu and Kashmir Traffic Police, Tomorrow, subject to fair weather and better road condition LMVS Passengers/private Cars shall be allowed from Jammu towards Srinagar (strictly one way) on Jammu-Srinagar NHW and shall be allowed from Nagrota (Jammu) at 0900 hrs to 1300 hrs and from Jakheni Udhampur at 1000 hrs to 1400 hrs.
(Subject to change depending on the road position then) TCU Jammu liaise with TCU Ramban before releasing the traffic. No Vehicle shall be allowed before and after the cut off timmings.
Meanwhile, Mughal Road, Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri Road and Kishtwar-Sinthan Road closed for vehicular movement in view of snow accumulation by the Administration.
However, Night temperatures in Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh dropped several notches below the freezing point on Friday as icy winds blowing into the plains from the snowclad mountains added to the cold wave sweeping the two UTs.
The minimum temperature in Jammu city was 5.7 degrees Celsius, Katra 5.0, Batote -1.1, Banihal and Bhaderwah -2.4.
An official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said since the weather is likely to remain dry till January 16, the minimum temperatures could drop further in the next two days.
Srinagar registered -3.6 degrees Celsius, Pahalgam -10.3 and Gulmarg -10.5 as the minimum temperature.
Pahalgam in south Kashmir Anantnag district, which serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of minus 10.3 degrees Celsius, a degree down from the previous night, they said.
The minimum temperature in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, settled at minus 3.4 degrees Celsius half-a-degree down from the previous night, the officials said.
They said Qazigund, the gateway town to the valley, recorded the minimum of minus 7.8 degrees Celsius, while the nearby south Kashmir town of Kokernag recorded a low of minus 7.5 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature in Kupwara in north Kashmir settled at a low of minus 4.2 degrees Celsius.
The MET Office said the weather is likely to stay mainly dry over the next few days and the minimum temperature is likely to drop further.
Kashmir valley is currently under the grip of the 40-day harshest winter period known as ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ which began on December 21.
‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ is a period when a cold wave grips the region and the temperature drops considerably leading to the freezing of water bodies including the famous Dal Lake here as well as the water supply lines in several parts of the valley.
The chances of snowfall are the most frequent and maximum during this period and most areas, especially in the higher reaches, receive heavy to very heavy snowfall.
The ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ will end on January 31, but the cold wave continues even after that in Kashmir with a 20-day-long ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day-long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold).
Drass town recorded -23.8 degrees Celsius in the Ladakh region, Leh -10.6 and Kargil -19.9 as the night’s lowest temperature.