Locals appeal authorities to restore road connectivity.
SRINAGAR (J&K) —
Fresh snowfall, which started early on Tuesday morning, brought cheers to tourists in the Valley, even as the normal life was disrupted.
Not only the tourist resorts like Sonamarg, Pahalgam witnessed the snowfall, much to the cheer of visiting tourists, but also normal life in hilly areas like Shopian was interrupted.
While talking to Digpu News, the tourists in Sonamarg area of Ganderbal district expressed happiness over the ‘timely’ snowfall in Kashmir. “I witnessed snowfall for the first time in my life and I can’t really express my feelings. This truly makes Kashmir heaven on earth,” a tourist from Kerala said.
Another tourist expressed resentment over the negative media coverage of the valley, especially against national news channels. “This valley is as peaceful as any other region. We have witnessed it ourselves – the hospitality of Kashmiris, their cooperative behaviour and helping nature. No one can really match that.”
However, the local people appealed the authorities to work on road connectivity, especially on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, so that the snowfall in Kashmir has the least impact on the livelihood of people.
Snowfall In Kashmir – A Cause Of Worry For Some
“We ask the authorities to throw open the Mughal road for the whole year so that the driver community is not rendered jobless. Besides, it will help us do away with the problem of shortage of essential commodities during the Winter season,” a driver from Shopian told Digpu News.
Meanwhile, some fruit growers welcomed the snowfall in Kashmir as limited snow is fruitful for apple orchards. In the months of June and July, water scarcity hits many areas, but snow is considered as a big relief for limiting the spell of the dry season.
It is worthwhile to mention here that people were not fully prepared for snowfall in Kashmir as they had yet to complete their preparation, including the purchase of Kangris (earthen fire-pot) and charcoal (to be used in the Kangris).
In valley, the 40-day harsh Winter period is about to start, from 21st of December. In these 40 days, the movement of people is badly impacted due to extreme cold weather conditions.
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Dil-Paziir (Urdu; meaning ‘heart-pleasing’) is a special edition positive news series brought to you by Digpu, sourced from conflict areas, starting from Kashmir. Our local journalists have successfully shared many inspirational stories from the valley – from the invention of E-Charkha, automatic ventilator in Kashmir, stories of brotherhood through to the first-ever cricket tourney for Blind sportsmen, all the stories make us awe-struck. These are NOT FOR REPRODUCTION.
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