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Snowless winter: Gurez Valley remains open via road for record time

Meanwhile, locals are feeling bittersweet excitement but also have them worried that the scant snowfall will prove disastrous
03:37 PM Feb 05, 2025 IST | OWAIS FAROOQI
snowless winter  gurez valley remains open via road for record time
Snowless winter: Gurez Valley remains open via road for record time
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Bandipora, Feb 05: The scant snowfall this season has kept Gurez Valley open and bustling for this winter season with unusual activity being witnessed in peak winter season when the valley would usually witness calm.

The mobile trucks laden with fresh veggies and other stocks are almost daily crossing Razdan Top to enter Gurez valley, creating a "bittersweet" excitement among the locals.

For December month, Abdul Raheem Lone, a local, said the road may have remained closed for almost ten days to the most. However, for January until February 5, according to incharge TCP (Traffic control point) Kanzalwan, Fayaz Ahmad, the road has remained open for "almost all days."

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"It is a record that vehicles are plying on the road in February and also continued to ply in January month," Ahmad said.

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He said although traffic was halted for limited time due to "wind infested snowstorms on Razdan Top," the road otherwise "has remained open," adding the road closure was "near to nothing."

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Sub Divisional Magistrate Mukhtar Ahmad also confirmed to Greater Kashmir about the road being open for the majority of the winter.

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"The road has mostly remained open during this winter season till now. However, the road has remained closed on the days of bad weather and subsequent days taken for clearance of," the SDM told us.

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Meanwhile, locals are feeling bittersweet excitement but also have them worried that the scant snowfall will prove disastrous.

"Dawar has witnessed snowfall to the maximum depth of one foot this season," Raheem said, a local and an ex PRI head in the valley, said.

Similarly, in the Tulail region, which witnessed heavy snowfall, according to him, witnessed recorded one and a half feet snow.

"It's way less then what we would witness years before," Lone added.

He said Dawar, which is centrally located of the valley, almost recorded three feet snow bout in the previous season.

Notably, the less snow has kept Tualil road open too, with people from as far as "Gujjran and Abdullain travelling to Dawar almost on a daily basis," Lone added.

One more notable result of this seasons’ unusual winter is that "people are not confined in their homes. There is unusual activity in people's moments," he added.

The water supply pipelines, which would freeze at least till April, are unaffected, too.

"It is good that we are getting fresh veggies and other required stock on a daily basis. It makes us happy," Lone said, referring to the living situation.

However, drawing concerns over the weather impact, he said, "It was a worrying factor in terms of environment."

"More snow brings more water which is beneficial, with less snow it will have a very bad affect on agriculturalists, orchardists and common people."

Yet, the residents are hopeful that there is more snow yet to come. "It can be in March or April, but we hope it comes and brings us some relief," Lone added.