Srinagar: High altitude areas of Kashmir valley, including the famous Ski resort of Gulmarg today received the first snowfall of the season while Srinagar and other plains were lashed by intermittent rains, official sources said.

About nine inches of snow had accumulated on the ground in the Gulmarg hill resort, 52 kms from here, till this afternoon, much to the delight of the tourists and winter sports lovers, the sources said.

The snowfall in the hill resort along with high altitude areas of Kashmir started around 3 am and was still continuing when reports were last received, the sources said.

Snow clearance vehicles were immediately pressed into the service by the authorities, they said, adding efforts were on to restore the road link to Gulmarg.

"The road link to Gulmarg will be restored within an hour," the sources said.

Besides Gulmarg, the entire Kupwara district and higher reaches of Baramulla and Bandipora districts in North Kashmir, Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama in South Kashmir, Ganderbal in North-east and central Kashmir Budgam district received snowfall, while the plains were lashed by moderate rains since early this morning, the sources said.

However, air traffic to and from Srinagar was operating and the traffic on Srinagar-Jammu National highway, the only road linking Kashmir with rest of the country, and other hilly roads was plying normally, the sources said.
Source : PTI