HATTIAN BALA (Kashmir English): Efforts are underway to fully restore the main roads and highways after heavy snowfall disrupted routine life in Leepa Valley.
Roads Division Jhelum Valley teams were striving hard to make it possible to clear roads at the earliest.
It is expected that weather will be a bit better in the morning today and the personnel of the Roads Division will accelerate efforts to clear the pathways.
Leepa road was blocked after heavy snowfall. The authorities have suspended restoration efforts due to extreme weather conditions and urged caution.
Severe weather
During severe weather, heavy snow blocked the passage of Leepa Road, thus stranding passengers along the blocked route.
The heavy snow accumulation cut off Leepa Road, preventing every type of movement in the region.
SDO Roads Department Raja Masroor Ahmed said that snow conditions prevent any restoration activities from continuing at present.
He said that recent continuous snowfall triggered numerous glacier collapses along the path, making it very risky to travel along the road.
According to a Home Department team, extreme weather conditions together with glacier collapses blocked the road path to the point where maintenance became impossible.
A total of twenty passengers were present in five vehicles which ignored warnings from local authorities and media while travelling from Muji towards Reshian.
The vehicles ended up stranded Midway because of heavy snow accumulation. Rescue teams launched an emergency evacuation that brought all passengers safely to Reshian after their rescue completion.
The passers had to leave their cars behind since the road remained buried beneath snow.
SDO Raja Masroor Ahmed said that the restoration will begin immediately after weather improvement, thus all resources will be deployed for the speediest road recovery.
He renewed his request for everyone to abstain from driving during extreme weather because their safety, together with that of others, remains at stake.
