A white blanket covered Kashmir on Saturday as all parts of the valley received moderate to heavy snowfall, leading to the closure of roads, officials here said. It was first snowfall of the season for Srinagar, although higher reaches of Kashmir valley had received first snowfall on November 15, almost a month ago. That was the first fall in the inhabited areas of the valley, including Gulmarg and Sonmarg tourist resorts.
It’s time for the people of Kashmir to bring out their traditional Pheren (tweed over garment) Kangris (fire-pot oven in a basket of willow wicker) wishing each other Sheen Mubarak (Happy Snowfall). Snowfall began late on Friday night in most parts of Kashmir and just after midnight in Srinagar city, officials said.
While two to three inches of snow had accumulated in Srinagar by daybreak, the hilly areas of the valley received snowfall between one foot to two feet, the officials said.
They said rainfall along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway resulted in landslides at several places, leading to the closure of the arterial road.
Other roads connecting the valley to the rest of the country have also been blocked due to snowfall, they added.
The divisional administration of the valley pressed men and machinery into service in the early hours of the day to clear snow from the roads and restore electricity in the areas affected due to snowfall, the officials said.
Snowfall in valley brings the hope of revival of tourism in the area which has been severely hit for most of the year due to the coronavirus pandemic.