18 structures, power network hit by snow, gusty winds in Baramulla
Baramulla, Jan 23: Gusty winds followed by heavy snowfall wreaked havoc across north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, causing widespread damage to residential structures and power infrastructure, and throwing normal life out of gear across large parts of the district.
At least 18 structures, including a private school, were damaged on Thursday evening due to strong winds and falling trees.
Officials said the roofs of 10 residential houses in the Tangmarg and Pattan areas were blown off, while three houses in Bijhama, Uri, and three houses along with a cowshed in the Kreeri area also suffered severe damage.
An official said the structures were damaged after gusty winds swept across the district on Thursday evening. He said a walnut tree branch fell on Sunlight Public School at Nambla in Uri, damaging the building. However, no injuries were reported in any of the incidents.
Teams of the revenue and disaster management departments have been dispatched to the affected areas to assess the extent of losses. “After receiving distress calls, teams were rushed to the spots, and damage assessment is underway,” an official said.
Heavy snowfall also caused extensive damage to power infrastructure across Baramulla. Officials of the Kashmir Power Corporation Limited said a 132 kV transmission tower at Kanispora was severely damaged, disrupting electricity supply to large parts of the district. In addition, several 33 kV, 11 kV and low-tension power lines were damaged due to heavy snow load and falling trees, plunging many localities into darkness.
“Power restoration may take around 36 hours. Field staff is on the job and restoration efforts are underway despite harsh weather conditions,” said Superintending Engineer KPDCL Baramulla, Muhammad Shafi Khan.
The snowfall brought daily life to a near standstill across the district on Friday. Baramulla town recorded around one foot of snow, while upper reaches including Tangmarg, Uri and the Kandi belt of Rafiabad received close to three feet of snow.
In Gogaldara, Tangmarg, residents were seen clearing snow from lanes to allow pedestrian movement. In the upper reaches of Uri, several villages were completely cut off from the main town, with no vehicular movement reported.
At Primary Health Centre Boniyar, a pregnant woman was shifted to GMC Baramulla after authorities cleared the snow-blocked road using heavy machinery following a distress call.
Meanwhile, residents expressed resentment over what they described as slow snow clearance operations, alleging that despite advance weather advisories, authorities failed to respond swiftly, leaving several areas disconnected.
Traffic on the Baramulla–Uri highway remained disrupted for most of the day on Friday as snow clearance operations continued. Similarly, large parts of Tangmarg and Rafiabad areas remained cut off following heavy snowfall.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Srinagar had earlier forecast back-to-back western disturbances affecting the region. While Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a rainfall deficit of about 96 per cent this month, resulting in an unusually dry winter, weather conditions changed early Friday, bringing moderate to heavy snowfall in north Kashmir and heavy precipitation in several parts of the Valley.
