The recent snowfall in the higher altitudes of Doda district has caused concern among farmers, as the fruit crops are currently in bloom, and there is a fear of damage to them.
Officials have reported that areas at higher elevations, such as Kota Top, Jatani, Kansar, Thanhala, Baach Dhar, Shankhoja, Chenera, Kaljugasar, and Sivili, received snowfall ranging from two inches to one foot.
Due to the ongoing snowfall, the district administration has released an advisory urging people to stay away from avalanche-prone areas. Additionally, they have suspended vehicular traffic on interstate roads such as Bhaderwah-Basohli-Pathankot and Bhaderwah-Chamba for safety reasons.
The farmers, particularly those who grow fruit, have reported that in some regions, snowfall occurred on March 20 after a prolonged gap, which caught them off guard, as they had already started working in their orchards after an extended winter season.
Saif Din Dhakkar, a farmer from Kota Top village, expressed his concern, stating that they had already begun ploughing their maize fields and were anticipating a prosperous harvest of apricot, almond, peach, and walnut, as these trees were in bloom.
He said the unseasonal snowfall and the sudden dip in temperature have done a lot of damage to the fruit-bearing trees.
Additional Superintendent of Police, Bhaderwah, Kameshwar Puri said most of the higher reaches in Bhadarwah and Bhallesa are witnessing fresh snowfall since morning.
“We have issued an advisory to the people residing in hilly slopes to avoid venturing outside especially near avalanche-prone areas till weather conditions improve,” he said.
He said the traffic on the interstate highways was suspended as a precautionary measure after the snowfall rendered a 30-km stretch from Thanala to Khundi Maral on Bhaderwah-Chamba road and 25-KM stretch from Thantera to Chattar Galla pass on Bhaderwah-Basohli road slippery.
“It is still snowing and no vehicles will be allowed to move beyond Thanalla on Bhaderwah-Chamba road and Thanthera on Bhadarwah-Basohli-Pathankot road,” Puri said.
Students who had started going to school after extended winter vacations with some of them appearing in class 10 and 12 annual examinations next month are finding it difficult to cope with the winter-like conditions.
“We have just started attending our classes after a long break. We fall in a hard zone and our exams are commencing from the first week of April but after the snowfall, we are not able to reach our school at this crucial juncture,” said Mohammad Arif (16), a class 10 student of village Kharangal- Bhalessa.
