URI, JAN 24(Zaffer Iqbal): Normal life in the Uri and Boniyar subdivisions has come to a standstill following a weekend of relentless heavy snowfall. The severe weather has left a trail of destruction, damaging over a dozen homes, flattening fruit orchards, and snapping critical power lines across the region.
Infrastructure and Property Damage
Official sources report that at least 16 residential houses have been damaged, alongside numerous tin sheds and cowsheds. The destruction has left several families displaced during the peak of winter. Affected villages include:
- Garkote and Nambla
- Chrunda and Nilosa
- Hilerpirnian and Bagna Norkha
- Mohura, Batangi, and Bijhama
In Nawarunda, a walnut tree collapsed onto a local mosque, while the Sun Light Model School in Nambla also sustained significant structural damage.
Power Grid Collapse and Water Crisis
The region’s essential services have been crippled since Friday evening. Damage to the 132 KV and 33 KV lines, as well as various high-tension networks, has resulted in a total blackout for many localities.
Critical Concern: Residents have expressed deep anxiety over the power cut, particularly for elderly patients and those reliant on home oxygen support who are now facing life-threatening conditions.
Horticulture and Agriculture Hit
Local farmers are reeling from a massive blow to the horticulture sector. Extensive damage to fruit-bearing trees—a backbone of the local economy—has been reported, marking a significant financial setback for the season.
Road Closures and Landslides
While maintenance agencies have cleared the Uri-Baramulla National Highway after a landslide at Bandi, dozens of interior roads remain inaccessible. Key areas currently cut off include:
- Closed Routes: Tilawari, Thajal, Saidpora, Balkote, Hathlanga, and Dudran.
- Isolated Villages: Gohallan, Babagail, Bernate, and Gagirhill.
- Young Talents Shine as Three-Week Children’s Theatre Workshop Culminates in Spirited Performance
- Kashmir Police Chief Reviews Security for NEET UG Re-Exam and Amarnath Yatra 2026; Orders Strict SOP Enforcement
- Jamia Millia Islamia Achieves Highest-Ever QS World University Ranking; Climbs 75 Places to 686th Globally
- Three Arts Club and ASHI Partner to Empower Underprivileged Youths Through Theatre
- Jamia Millia Islamia alumnus Dr. Rahul Kumar Walia awarded Royal Society Newton International Fellowship
