Snow strands hundreds of commuters in J&K's Banihal; for some it's cricket all right

Banihal/Bhaderwah (J-K), Dec 28: Stuck in snow, while many sulked, some chose to allay their hardships by playing cricket inside the out-of-bounds 8.5-km Navyug Tunnel in Kashmir.

Heavy snowfall has stranded hundreds of commuters on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. Many spent the night inside their vehicles in the freezing temperature and demanded a fast reopening of the arterial road.

The cold, however, failed to dampen certain sturdy spirits who warmed up with a good game of cricket inside the Navyug Tunnel that connects Banihal town in Ramban district of Jammu region with Qazigund in south Kashmir's Anantnag district.

A video of the scene showed up on social media and was shared widely.

Authorities on Saturday pressed men and machinery to ensure early reopening of the highway – the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country.

The highway was closed down for vehicular traffic late Friday evening after the heavy snowfall – this season's first – rendered the road slippery.

Ramban Deputy Commissioner Baseer-ul-Haq Chaudhary along with Senior Superintendent of Police Kulbir Singh visited Banihal to take stock of the situation.

Many tourists had to spend the night inside their vehicles in the freezing temperatures.

Lakhpat Behal, a tourist from Chandigarh, said they reached the tunnel around 7 pm on Friday and were not allowed to move forward.

"We have been waiting in our vehicles for more than 20 hours, waiting for clearance from the authorities," he told PTI near the Navyug tunnel.

A newlywed couple from Mumbai was also forced to spend the night in the vehicle.

"The policemen asked us to return from the tunnel while we were heading for Kashmir but there were no hotels for accommodation...It is a nightmare to stay in the vehicle for 20 hours with no information when the road is going to be thrown open," the husband, who wished not to be named, said.

Tourists from Sangrur-Punjab and Madhya Pradesh said their dream visit to Kashmir turned horrendous for them.

"We had decided to visit Kashmir on New Year to enjoy snow. We did enjoy the snowfall but faced a lot of trouble. We were concerned for our children who had to spend the night in the vehicle," Yasmeena, who was accompanied by two children and three more family members, said.

Ramban, along with adjoining Doda and Kishtwar districts, experienced the first major snowfall overnight, much to the delight of the locals, especially agriculturalists and those associated with the tourism industry.

The snowfall not only ended the nearly two-and-a-half months dry spell in the Chenab Valley region but also turned Bhaderwah, Bhallessa, Doda and Kishtwar towns white after a gap of two years.