Light snowfall shuts Gurez road

Bandipora, Mar 15: The 85-km Bandipora-Gurez road was shut due amid inclement weather following light snowfall across higher reaches of the district, including Gurez Valley, on Sunday.

According to officials, low visibility and slippery conditions at Razdan Top, at an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet, prompted authorities to act beforehand to avoid any eventuality due to the dangerous conditions the road poses.

The Sub-Divisional Magistrate said, “The road is closed and will reopen once weather conditions improve.”

Meanwhile, residents of Gurez Valley said that the region, including Tulail, Dawar and Bagtore, was draped in a thin snow blanket, plunging temperatures further in the remote valley.

Notably, the Gurez–Bandipora road, which normally remains closed for months together, witnessed a closure of just over 20 days from January 23 to February 13.

It also recorded one of the quickest reopenings of the road in recent years by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which maintains the Gurez-Bandipora road.