Srinagar: Thursday morning saw much of the Valley, including the summer capital Srinagar, turn white as the much-anticipated snowfall covered the plains during the night.The upper reaches in the Valley have been receiving continuous light to moderate snowfall since Tuesday evening. The hill stations of Pahalgam and Gulmarg also continued to receive snowfall. According to a weather official, the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir received the highest snowfall with nearly a feet of fresh snow accumulated there.The fresh snowfall is expected to draw domestic and foreign tourists to Kashmir. Tourists have largely stayed away from the Valley after unrest broke in July last year, causing a huge loss to the state’s tourism industry.Srinagar recorded snowfall equivalent to a rainfall of 2.5 mm in the past 24 hours. Bad weather also hit air traffic and many flights were cancelled at Srinagar International Airport. An official said 12 flights were cancelled at the airport today. Meanwhile, reports from the frontier district of Kupwara said roads leading to border areas, including Karnah, Keran and Maachil in Kupwara district, had been blocked due to snowfall since Wednesday.“We have set up at least 89 dumping centres at high altitude areas to cater to the requirement of locals in these areas,” said Deputy Commissioner of Kupwara, Ghulam Mohammad Dar. The border areas remain cut off from the district headquarters for at least five months. — TNS
12 flights cancelled after heavy snowfall in Valley
