SRINAGAR: Landslides and shooting stones at several places along the Srinagar-Jammu national highway on Friday kept traffic movement suspended for the third consecutive day.
An official from Traffic Control Unit Srinagar informed that landslides and shooting stones took place at Digdol, Panthal, Higni and Magerkote, due to which traffic movement remained suspended also for the stranded vehicles.
The official said that efforts are on to to clear the highway. He added if the highway is cleared on Saturday, traffic movement will be allowed only for stranded vehicles towards Srinagar and no fresh vehicular movement will be allowed from either Srinagar or Jammu.
On the weather front, the Meteorological Centre in Srinagar said that the weather will improve and remain dry from 14th to 20th March. Deputy Director of the Met centre at Rambagh, Mukhter Ahmad, told Kashmir Reader that the weather will remain dry for the next seven days across Kashmir valley.
He added that temperatures will increase in the coming days and advised farmers to make the most of the sunny days to carry out spraying of the recomnded pesticides and mineral oils in their orchards.
The lowest temperature in Kashmir valley on Friday was recorded in Gulmarg where the night temperure dipped to minus 3.5 degrees Celsius. Pahalgam and Kokernag both recorded a minimum temperature of 0.4 degree Celsius.
Srinagar recorded a minmum of 1 degree Celsius, almost 2.7 degrees less than the normal.

ARIF RASHID