Srinagar: As the first snowfall of the winter season brought normal life to a standstill on December 28, hundreds of tourists stranded in central Kashmir due to slippery roads were accommodated in a mosque and homes by local residents, drawing praise on social media platforms.
In the absence of any major weather forecast by the Srinagar station of Indian Meteorological Department, the unexpected snowfall grounded the traffic across Kashmir to a standstill on Friday evening with even the chief minister Omar Abdullah’s cavalcade, which was on the way from Jammu to Srinagar, getting stuck at several places in south Kashmir.
Residents of dozens of villages in Ganderbal district came to the rescue of hundreds of foreign and domestic tourists who were stranded in private vehicles after the road from Ganiwan to the Sonamarg health resort turned dangerously slippery due to the accumulation of snow.
A local family in Gund village of Ganderbal district preparing to serve the stranded tourists on Saturday. Photo: Ubaid Mukhtar.
Irfan Raina, chairman of Civil Society Tehsil Gund, a volunteer group in Ganderbal, said that around 600-700 tourists were left with no option on Friday evening but to spend the night on the road in their cars due to road closure.
However, the local residents of Gund and adjoining villages in Ganderbal district opened their homes as well as a local mosque to prevent any untoward incident due to bone-freezing weather conditions.
A video shot inside the home of one of the villagers in Gund, who could not be immediately identified, showed a group of anguished tourists, including women and children, wrapped in blankets eating rice, bread and curries, oblivious to the cameraperson’s presence.
Speaking with local reporters, a young tourist from Maharashtra, who could not be immediately identified, said that he was returning from Sonamarg along with his family when the road was closed due to snowfall at around 8 pm on Friday evening.
“It was -10 degrees celsius and traffic had come to a standstill. But locals came to our rescue. They didn’t charge us a penny. They were very nice. I had fears about visiting Kashmir but this experience has changed my thinking,” he said. The video was shared by the ruling National Conference on its social media pages.
A local resident offering tea to tourists near Gund village of Ganderbal district before bidding them farewell on December 27 morning. Photo: Special arrangement.
Raina said that some tourists stayed in the mosque where a fire was started inside the hamam to keep them warm throughout the night while local residents took in two to three families each who were given warm food and shelter without any charges.
“It was heartening to witness this remarkable display of hospitality by our people,” Raina who accommodated two families from Malaysia at his home, said.
Hamam is a special outdoor fireplace designed to heat up a room’s floor which is made of special diwaer stones. During winters, hamam room is the heart of mosques and some residential homes in Kashmir which is presently reeling under Chilai Qalaan, the harshest 40-day winter period when normal temperature plunges below sub-zero levels.
Moderate Hurriyat leader and chief cleric of Kashmir Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that it was heartening to see people of Kashmir opening their mosques and homes to the stranded tourists amidst heavy snowfall. “This gesture of warmth and humanity reflects our longstanding tradition of hospitality and help in times of need,” he said in a post on X.
Some people, however, made merry of the season’s first snowfall. At many places in Srinagar, local residents as well as tourists could be seen clicking photos of the fresh snowfall.
A 30-second video, which went viral on social media, showed a group of passengers playing cricket inside the Navyug tunnel with a long queue of dozens of vehicles grounded to a halt.
The strategic tunnel connects Ramban district in Jammu division with Anantnag district of Kashmir valley.
A flock of pigeons flies past Jamia Masjid, Kashmir’s oldest mosque in Nowhatta locality of downtown Srinagar, amid snowfall on December 27. Photo: Ubaid Mukhtar.
The adverse weather conditions have forced the authorities to shut down operations at Kashmir’s only airport in Srinagar where all the flights scheduled on Saturday were cancelled due to low visibility and continuing snowfall.
The heavy snowfall also disrupted electricity supply in a majority of areas in Kashmir with nearly 800 grid feeders downed by adverse weather conditions. In a post on X, chief minister Abdullah, who is also the vice-president of National Conference (NC) said more than 90 percent affected feeders are expected to be restored by Saturday evening.
Abdullah, who travelled to Srinagar for a first hand assessment of the emergent situation on civic and healthcare services in Kashmir, visited Ganderbal constituency from where he was elected to the legislative assembly in the election earlier this year.
“Hon’ble CM @OmarAbdullah chaired a crucial meeting with Divisional & District Administration, including Divisional Commissioners J&K and all Deputy Commissioners, to review snow clearance, power, and water supply scenarios. Directed swift action to ensure uninterrupted essential services after the snowfall. Also visited the Distinct Hospital Ganderbal to assess healthcare service,” the NC said in a post on X.
