Snowfall in Kashmir disrupts air and road traffic; highway closed, hundreds stranded
Srinagar (PTI): Fresh snowfall across Kashmir on Tuesday led to the closure of Jammu-Srinagar national highway and the cancellation of all flights at Srinagar airport, leaving hundreds of tourists stranded in the valley.
The snowfall, which began late on Monday night, blanketed the region in white. Officials said the arterial National Highway 44 was closed due to snow accumulation near the Navyug tunnel at Qazigund and Banihal.
At Srinagar International Airport, all 58 scheduled flights, including 29 arrivals and 29 departures, were cancelled. Authorities said continuous snowfall rendered the runway unsafe for operations.
The disruption left many travellers stuck. Ashish and Harshita, a couple on their honeymoon, said they were scheduled to fly back on Tuesday following the Republic Day weekend but had to return to their hotel after flight was cancelled. "We were booked to fly back today, but the flight got cancelled," they said while returning from the airport.
An official with the Airport Authority of India said while the weather was beyond their control, airlines were extending all cooperation, including rescheduling of the flights.
Despite the inconvenience, some tourists welcomed the extended stay. L K Yadav, a visitor who was stuck while travelling via the national highway, said that while the delay added to his expenses, his group was enjoying the experience.
"We enjoyed the snowfall and were going to leave yesterday. We are stuck now. We are still enjoying the stay," he said. Another tourist, Waqar-ud-din Qazi from Nagpur, praised the cooperation of the local police and residents. "Locals and the police are cooperating. This place is a heaven in real sense," he said.
While the plains of the valley, including Srinagar, recorded light to moderate snow, the higher reaches received heavy falls. Famous tourist resorts such as Sonamarg, Gulmarg and Pahalgam were transformed into winter landscapes.
Train services were also affected, with a few trains between Banihal and Budgam getting cancelled in the morning. However, officials said operations resumed after a few hours once the tracks were cleared. Services between Srinagar and Katra remained on schedule.
District administrations and the police have set up control rooms and helpline numbers to assist the public. In snowbound areas where roads remained blocked, police personnel were seen carrying patients on stretchers to ensure they reached medical facilities.
The Meteorological Department has predicted light to moderate rain or snow across most places, with the possibility of thunder or gusty winds in some areas. Light precipitation is also expected on Wednesday.
The Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory Disaster Management Authority (JKUTDMA) has issued avalanche warnings for eleven districts. A high-danger warning is in place for areas above 2,000 metres in Ganderbal district, while a medium-danger warning is likely to occur in areas above 2,000 metres in Anantnag, Bandipora, Baramula, Kulgam, and Kupwara in Kashmir, and Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, and Ramban. These warnings remained effective till Tuesday evening.
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UP SIR: Over 84 lakh voters added in final list, total electorate rises to 13.39 crore
Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh's electorate grew by over 84 lakh to 13.39 crore after the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), according to the final voter list published on Friday.
Addressing a press conference at the Lok Bhawan Media Centre here, Uttar Pradesh's Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said the SIR exercise was conducted from October 27, 2025, to April 10, 2026, covering all 75 districts, 403 assembly constituencies and polling stations across the state.
He said the 166-day exercise was carried out with the contribution of 75 District Election Officers (DEOs), 403 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 12,758 Assistant EROs, 18,026 BLO supervisors and 1,77,516 Booth Level Officers (BLOs). In addition, 5,82,877 booth-level agents of recognised political parties and crores of voters extended cooperation.
Print, electronic and digital media also played a key role in awareness efforts, he added.
Rinwa said the draft electoral roll published on January 6, 2026, had a total of 12,55,56,025 voters, including 6.88 crore male voters, 5.67 crore female voters and 4,119 third gender voters.
The number of voters in the 18-19 age group stood at 3,33,981, while the gender ratio was 824 female voters per 1,000 male voters.
The final electoral roll published on April 10 shows the total number of voters at 13,39,84,792, he said.
Of these, male voters number 7,30,71,071 (around 54 per cent), female voters 6,09,09,525 (45.46 per cent) and third gender voters 4,206 (less than 0.01 per cent).
The number of voters in the 18-19 age group has risen to 17,63,360, accounting for 1.32 per cent of the total electorate. The gender ratio has also improved to 834 female voters per 1,000 male voters.
Comparing the draft and final rolls, Rinwa said the total increase in the number of voters is 84,28,767. This includes an increase of 42,27,902 male voters, 42,00,778 female voters and 87 third gender voters.
The 18-19 age group registered a rise of 14,29,379 voters, while the gender ratio improved by 10 points from 824 to 834, he said.
Among districts, Prayagraj recorded the highest increase in voters at 3,29,421, followed by Lucknow at 2,85,961, Bareilly at over 2,57,000, Ghaziabad at 2,43,666 and Jaunpur at 2,37,590.
The CEO said the successful completion of the revision exercise reflects coordinated efforts by election officials, political parties and voters across the state.
