Roads to Gurez, dozens of other villages near LoC remain closed

Bandipora, Jan 12 (UNI) Dozens of roads connecting far flung and remote villages, including those near the Line of Control (LoC) in this north Kashmir district remained closed on Saturday due to fresh snowfall since Friday evening .
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner, Bandipora, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said snow clearance operation has been started this morning on different routes.
He said snow clearance operation has been started on Bandipora – Sopore, Bandipora – Srinagar, Bandipora – Ahemsharief-Bothu, Bandipora – Arin and main roads in the town, including those leading to hospitals and government offices.
He said there was fresh snowfall in Bandipora since early this morning and at some places it was still snowing.
He said Baktor had received one and half a feet of fresh snowfall and machines were deployed to clear snow.
An official of Control Room (CR) set up at Bandipora told UNI over phone that the Bandipora-Gurez road remained closed due to fresh snowfall. Traffic on the road, which connects Gurez, which is surrounded by Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) from three sides, and other dozens of villages with Bandipora, was restored on Thursday after remaining suspended for over a week.
There was about one feet of fresh snowfall on the road, he said adding snow clearance operation has been started from both Gurez and Bandipora sides to put through the road early. However, he said, the vehicles were directed to use anti-skid chains during the travel to avoid any accident. The authorities have already agreed to construct a tunnel at Razdan top to make it all weather road.
The district administration claimed that all essential commodities, including rice, sugar, atta and kerosene oil have been stocked in the areas which remained cut off from district and tehsil headquarters during winter. However, efforts are being made to make sure these areas remained connected throughout the year.