5 months ago
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Hundreds of tourists remained stranded successful Kashmir arsenic the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway — the lone all-weather roadworthy nexus connecting the vale with the remainder of the state — was closed for postulation for the 2nd time connected Wednesday (January 28, 2026).
The closure of the road has near galore travellers stuck successful Srinagar.
"I person been stuck present for the past 2 days. We had travel present to bask snow, but it is this snowfall that has go our punishment," Kailash, a tourer from Rajasthan told PTI Videos. He appealed to the authorities to wide the roadworthy "anyhow" and "allow america to spell arsenic our families are waiting for us".
"The flights were cancelled yesterday and present the fare has increased. They are asking for astatine slightest 20-25 thousand. We petition you to wide the roadworthy arsenic it is causing america distress. If this attack remains, past adjacent clip nary tourer volition travel to Kashmir, we volition not travel for definite if it continues similar this," helium added.
Another tourist, Mohit Sharma, said the closure of the road for the 2nd time has caused galore hardships to the people.
"They are not allowing postulation adjacent aft the upwind has improved. We privation to spell home, but are stuck present unfortunately. It is causing america galore hardships. We are forced to walk other than our budget. We privation them to let postulation truthful that the radical who are stranded and person obscurity to go, could leave," Mr. Sharma said.
While the stranded tourists are waiting anxiously for the road to reopen, immoderate said that they were "fortunate" to get stuck successful the snow-covered valley.
"I won't accidental that I americium stuck. I bash not consciousness that I americium stuck. Everyone is not fortunate to beryllium stuck here, I am," Shipra Bharadwaj, a prof astatine Delhi University who is connected her 4th travel to the Kashmir valley, said.
Ms. Bharadwaj said she was advised this clip to sojourn the vale successful 'Chilla-i-Kalan, the 40-day harshest wintertime play during which the chances of snowfall are maximum and astir frequent.
"I had ne'er felt snowfall autumn implicit my head. This clip I did. I americium fortunate," she added.
The snowfall connected Tuesday (January 27, 2026) forced the closure of the road and the suspension of the formation operations astatine the Srinagar airport. While the formation operations resumed connected Wednesday (January 28, 2026) aft betterment successful the weather, the road continued to stay closed for traffic.
The authorities are making efforts to reconstruct the nationalist road (NH-44) arsenic it continued to stay closed connected the 2nd time connected Wednesday owed to snowfall accumulation and slippery conditions, the officials said.
They said snowfall clearance operations were successful advancement to reconstruct the postulation connected the highway.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) unit are sprinkling brackish and urea connected the roadworthy to amended conditions for harmless driving arsenic parts of the road remained slippery owed to frosty conditions aft the snowfall, they said.
