Snowfall breaks month-long dry spell in Kashmir       

A thin layer of snow has carpeted Kashmir valley  since Friday morning while the  temperature has tumbled further. Although the frosty weather conditions have increased the miseries of people in rural areas, the  snowfall has certainly brought cheers on the faces of those associated with tourism.

An official at local meteorological department said that weather would remain “sullen” for at least next 48 hours. The temperature plumeted up to minus 3.5 degree Celsius in Srinagar while it was minus 6. 8 and minus 10 in famous tourist resorts of Pahalgam and Gulmarg respectively.

Even though Srinagar- Jammu national highway remained open for one way traffic, the Mughal road, connecting Srinagr with Poonch via Shopian, was closed due to heavy accumulation of snow near Peer Ki Kali.

The air traffic was also suspended in afternoon due to poor visibility at Srinagar airport. Authorities have also set up a control room in Srinagar as well as district headquaters to meet any eventuality.

Omar Abdullah, former chief minister of the state, shared some pictures and a video on twitter, saying that “the fresh snow is always gorgeous (before the electricity snaps and the roads get blocked that is).” Reports pouring in from the far-off places of both northern and southern parts of valley suggest the break down of power supply.

The winter  tourism in valley has started picking up following the snowfall. Tourists in large  numbers, according to hoteliers in Srinagar, have began making a beeline for valley particularly for the tourist destinations like Gulmarg and Pahalgam.

"Since Christmas valley has been witnessing a heavy rush of tourists. We are expecting a huge tourist inflow in coming days" said a hotelier in Phalgam. Shabir Ahmad, manager at  hotel Heaven Retreat in Gulmarg said that as soon as it started snowing in valley,  “we began receiving booking calls from tourists from both domestic as well as international tourists.”

President Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Association Ab Majid told the National Herald that so far there was a good tourist response but largly the whole tourism industry hinges on the law and order situation in Kashmir.

On November 4 last year, heavy mid-autumn snow in the Kashmir Valley had wreaked havoc on the region’s famed orchards, severely damaging apple, apricot, cherry, walnut and almond trees. Apple growers were the hardest hit, with the snow destroying not just this season’s apple crop but the heavily laden trees themselves.