About 2000 people from Kargil stranded in Kashmir

Srinagar, Mar 24: About 2000 people, including women and children, from Kargil are stranded here for the past 20 days following unprecedented snowfall.

Meanwhile, normal traffic was restored on Kargil-Drass road which remained closed for about a week following more than five feet of snowfall.

Official sources said 120 people from Kargil, Drass and other areas, who were among more than 2000 stranded passengers since March I, were airlifted in an AN-32 aircraft yesterday. Similarly, 90 passengers, stranded at Kargil, were brought here in two sorties.

The air service remained suspended after the Kashmir valley and Kargil experienced heavy snowfall last week.

However, there are about 2000 passengers still stranded here, a passenger Ghulam Ziauddin said.

He said out of the 2000 stranded passengers, 1830 have confirmed air tickets from here to Kargil.

No flight was operated today, he said, adding the Indian Air-Force was operating its AN-32 service twice in a week.

About three hundred passengers are also stranded at Kargil.

It said Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, recorded more than five feet of snowfall last week leading to closure of the Drass-Kargil road. More than four feet of snow was still accumulated on the roads. However, the local administration cleared the snow on the road and traffic was resumed on March 22.

The Kargil-Panikher road remained closed due to heavy snowfall.

The report said Kargil-Zanaskar road, which was closed in December last year, also remained closed becuase of more than six feet of snowfall.

The report said Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and other agencies, responsible for the maintenance of the 434-km Srinagar-Leh National Highway had not resumed snow clearance operation after heavy snowfall last week.

The snow clearance operation will be resumed only after there is no danger of avalanche, official sources said.

The highway was closed on November 15 last year after heavy snowfall at Zojila, Sonamarg, Zero point and Pandrass.

UNI