Hundreds of tourists stranded as Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remains closed for second day
Srinagar (PTI): Hundreds of tourists remained stranded in Kashmir as the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway -- the only all-weather road link connecting the valley with the rest of the country -- was closed for traffic for the second day on Wednesday.
The closure of the highway has left many travellers stuck here.
"I have been stuck here for the last two days. We had come here to enjoy snow, but it is this snow that has become our punishment," Kailash, a tourist from Rajasthan told PTI Videos. He appealed to the authorities to clear the road "anyhow" and "allow us to go as our families are waiting for us".
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"The flights were cancelled yesterday and now the fare has increased. They are asking for at least 20-25 thousand. We request you to clear the road as it is causing us distress. If this approach remains, then next time no tourist will come to Kashmir, we will not come for sure if it continues like this," he added.
Another tourist, Mohit Sharma, said the closure of the highway for the second day has caused many hardships to the people.
"They are not allowing traffic even after the weather has improved. We want to go home, but are stuck here unfortunately. It is causing us many hardships. We are forced to spend extra than our budget. We want them to allow traffic so that the people who are stranded and have nowhere to go, could leave," Sharma said.
While the stranded tourists are waiting anxiously for the highway to reopen, some said that they were "fortunate" to get stuck in the snow-covered valley.
"I won't say that I am stuck. I do not feel that I am stuck. Everyone is not fortunate to be stuck here, I am," Shipra Bharadwaj, a professor at Delhi University who is on her fourth trip to the Kashmir valley, said.
Bharadwaj said she was advised this time to visit the valley in 'Chilla-i-Kalan, the 40-day harshest winter period during which the chances of snowfall are maximum and most frequent.
"I had never felt snow fall over my head. This time I did. I am fortunate," she added.
The snowfall on Tuesday forced the closure of the highway and the suspension of the flight operations at the Srinagar airport. While the flight operations resumed on Wednesday after improvement in the weather, the highway continued to remain closed for traffic.
The authorities are making efforts to restore the national highway (NH-44) as it continued to remain closed on the second day on Wednesday due to snow accumulation and slippery conditions, the officials said.
They said snow clearance operations were in progress to restore the traffic on the highway.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) personnel are sprinkling salt and urea on the road to improve conditions for safe driving as parts of the highway remained slippery due to frosty conditions after the snowfall, they said.
VIDEO | Jammu: Jammu–Srinagar National Highway closed due to snowfall and rain; traffic halted at Nagrota.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 28, 2026
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/hpwOAlBFag) pic.twitter.com/AIBMSgTNyE
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Air India resorts to cost-cutting ways amid 'tough times'; layoffs not anticipated
New Delhi/Mumbai (PTI): Hit hard by Pakistan airspace closure and Iran war, Air India has resorted to cost-cutting measures, including holding back annual increments for staff and asking them to cut discretionary spending as well as non-critical expenditures, warning of "tough times".
On Friday, Air India Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director (CEO & MD) Campbell Wilson told the staff it is going to be a "very, very difficult year" if things don't improve on the Middle East front.
A day after the loss-making airline's board discussed various cost-saving steps, Wilson, along with Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sanjay Sharma and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Ravindra Kumar GP, addressed the employees during a townhall on Friday where the emphasis on the need to keep a close watch on costs.
With higher jet fuel prices due to the West Asia conflict and airspace curbs, the loss-making airline's expenses have spiralled in recent times and against this backdrop, Sharma also told staffers that FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Calling for a relentless focus on costs in these tough times, Wilson urged employees to suspend discretionary spending, renegotiate rates where feasible, and defer non-critical expenditures.
"There must be a laser-sharp focus on eliminating wastage and leakages," he said.
Stressing the need to tighten the belt for a while, Wilson sounded optimistic that travel demand would rebound and the industry would continue on its upward path.
CHRO Ravindra Kumar told staff that the airline will proceed with variable pay for the last financial year and continue with planned promotions while noting that annual increments will be deferred by at least one quarter.
"We don't anticipate layoffs," he said.
At the airline's board meeting on Thursday, various cost-saving steps, including likely furloughs, were discussed. The Tata Group-owned airline has around 24,000 employees.
Generally, furlough refers to sending staff on unpaid leaves by companies during a tough financial situation.
During the townhall, CFO Sanjay Sharma said while strong revenue growth and fleet expansion drove financial momentum through FY25, FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Air India has seen around 40 per cent CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) in revenue between 2022 and 2025, he added.
The airline was acquired by the Tata Group from the government in January 2022.
The Air India CEO mentioned the external challenges being facing the aviation industry as a whole, including the continued closure of Pakistan airspace that is expected to persist for the foreseeable future and geopolitical conflicts leading to disruptions and airspace closures across West Asia.
Wilson, who is set to step down later this year, also flagged a sharp depreciation of the rupee and a 2.5-3 times increase in jet fuel prices, and added that these factors have adversely affected travel sentiment and consumer confidence, as per the sources.
If the Strait of Hormuz opens, oil prices fall and consumer as well as business confidence come back, there is a decent chance of a solid recovery, Wilson said, adding that unless those circumstances happen, it was going to be "a very, very difficult year".
"I feel somewhat responsible that we ended up with probably the biggest surprise of the year in the external environment which was a full-scale war in our neighbouring region in the Gulf. That has had a huge impact on airspace," he said.
For Air India, Wilson said the situation is compounded by the fact that the airline cannot fly over the neighbouring country and has to take a much longer routing for any west-bound destination.
"Every airline is reporting that they are under some sort of financial pressure as a result of higher fuel prices and economic uncertainty. So, it is unfortunately not a great environment to be running an airline," the Air India CEO said.
The Air India Group -- Air India and Air India Express -- is projected to have incurred more than Rs 22,000 crore loss in the financial year ended March 2026.
At the townhall, Wilson also highlighted various initiatives, including completion of the retrofit of its legacy narrow-body aircraft and rapid network optimisation to redeploy capacity more efficiently.
