J&K: After snowfall, nine-year-old dies in landslide, more than 700 people evacuated
Snow clearance is still under way along the national highway, a part of which was blocked by a massive landslide on Monday.
A nine-year-old Bakerwal girl died and four of her family members were injured in a landslide in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Saturday night, Greater Kashmir reported. The incident took place near Sain Ganji shrine in Chatyar village when their makeshift camp was hit by a landslide.
Police on Sunday evacuated around 700 stranded passengers from snow-hit areas of Jawahar Tunnel and Drass, Rising Kashmir reported. Police also evacuated 600 people from Banihal and provided them with shelter and food. The police in a statement said teams were deployed following snowfall for evacuation across all affected areas of the state.
It is the first time since 2009 that the Kashmir Valley has received snowfall in November.
A massive landslide blocked the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway in Ramban district on Monday, a day after it was opened for one-way traffic. Officials said that machinery and personnel were mobilised to restore the all-weather road that links Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country, PTI reported.
Ramban Senior Superintendent of Police Anita Sharma said the landslide took place near Battery Cheshma along the Banihal-Ramban stretch of the highway. “The restoration work is going on and might take several hours given the nature of the landslide,” she said.
The highway was closed on Saturday following heavy snowfall and landslides.
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday ordered immediate restoration of road connectivity and electricity in affected areas. He also asked the principal secretary finance to make available adequate funds to power and public works departments.
Power supply was restored to 90% of Srinagar city and other rural areas of Kashmir on Sunday. “We are facing problems in south Kashmir areas where some of our transmission towers have been damaged,” said Hashmat Qazi, the chief engineer for electric maintenance in Kashmir, according to IANS. “This will take a day or two for complete restoration.”
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education said it will provide a chance for all students to who missed their exam due to snowfall to re-appear for it. “All students who missed exam due to heavy snowfall will get another opportunity once weather improves,” Deputy Commissioner (Bandipore) Shahid Choudhary said on Twitter. “BOSE [Board of School Education] has agreed to our request. Same will apply to any further such incidents.”