Srinagar, Mar 2 : Sadhna top, Z-Gali and Phirkiyan passes, connecting dozens of far flung and remote villages, including those near the Line of Control (LoC), with their respective district and tehsil headquarters, were closed again on Friday due to fresh snowfall since early this morning.
The Razdan pass, connecting border town of Gurez, surrounded by Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) from three sides, remained closed due to accumulation of snow and slippery road conditions since last month.
Traffic was suspended on Sadhna pass, Z Gali and Phirkiyan today due to fresh snow and slippery road conditions, a Police Control Room (PCR) official told UNI over phone from Kupwara. The passes were recently opened for traffic after remaining closed for several days due to snowfall.
Dozens of far-flung and remote villages, including those near LoC, besides border town of Karnah, Keran, Machil and Tangdhar, were cut off from Kupwara because of closure of these passes, he said, adding that traffic will be resumed only after improvement in the weather and reviewing of road condition.
He said on the basis of information received from SASE, medium danger avalanche warning for next 24 hours has been issued on Thursday evening for Baramulla, Gulmarg, Furkian, Z- Gali, Kupwara-Chowkibal-Tangdhar, Bandipora and Kargil areas.
This winter, there was very less snowfall as compared to previous years, when these roads remained closed for six months, he said and added that this time, roads to border towns of Keran, Karnah, Machil and Tangdhar remained open during the winter months, due to less snowfall.
However, 11 persons, including an officer of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), were killed in a snow avalanche at Sadhna top in January this year.
Meanwhile, traffic on road connecting border areas, including Gurez and Neeru, with district headquarter Bandipora remained suspended since December last year due to accumulation of several feet of snow at Razdan top besides slippery condition.
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