Snowfall disrupts life in Kashmir; highway shut, Srinagar flights cancelled

Fresh snowfall across Kashmir on Tuesday led to the closure of the Jammu–Srinagar national highway and the cancellation of all flights at Srinagar airport, leaving hundreds of tourists stranded in the Valley.

The snowfall, which began late on Monday night, blanketed large parts of the region in white. Officials said National Highway-44, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was closed due to heavy snow accumulation near the Navyug tunnel at Qazigund and the Banihal stretch.

At Srinagar International Airport, all 58 scheduled flights — including 29 arrivals and 29 departures — were cancelled after continuous snowfall made the runway unsafe for operations, officials said.

The disruption caused inconvenience to many travellers. Ashish and Harshita, a couple on their honeymoon, said they were scheduled to fly back on Tuesday after the Republic Day weekend but were forced to return to their hotel after their flight was cancelled.

“We were booked to fly back today, but the flight got cancelled,” they said while leaving the airport.

An official of the Airports Authority of India said the weather conditions were beyond control, but airlines were extending full cooperation, including rescheduling flights for stranded passengers.

Despite the disruption, some tourists welcomed the extended stay. L K Yadav, who was stranded while travelling via the national highway, said the delay had increased expenses but added to the experience.

“We enjoyed the snowfall and were going to leave yesterday. We are stuck now, but still enjoying the stay,” he said.

Another tourist, Waqar-ud-din Qazi from Nagpur, praised the cooperation of locals and the police. “Locals and the police are cooperating. This place is a heaven in the real sense,” he said.

While the plains of the Valley, including Srinagar, received light to moderate snowfall, higher reaches witnessed heavy snow. Popular tourist destinations such as Sonamarg, Gulmarg and Pahalgam were transformed into picturesque winter landscapes.

Train services were also affected, with a few trains between Banihal and Budgam cancelled in the morning hours. Officials said rail operations resumed after a few hours once tracks were cleared. Train services between Srinagar and Katra remained unaffected.

District administrations and police have activated control rooms and helpline numbers to assist residents and tourists. In snowbound areas where roads remained blocked, police personnel were seen carrying patients on stretchers to ensure timely medical care.

The Meteorological Department has forecast light to moderate rain or snowfall at most places, with the possibility of thunder or gusty winds in some areas. Light precipitation is also likely on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory Disaster Management Authority (JKUTDMA) issued avalanche warnings for 11 districts. A high-danger warning was sounded for areas above 2,000 metres in Ganderbal district, while medium-danger warnings were issued for similar elevations in Anantnag, Bandipora, Baramulla, Kulgam and Kupwara in Kashmir, and Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri and Ramban in the Jammu region. The warnings remained effective till Tuesday evening.