Faced with suspension of flights during the past four days due to snow and poor visibility, the Srinagar airport authorities on Wednesday roped in the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to clear the snow from the airport areas.

The airport authorities signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Beacon unit of the BRO for snow removal from the apron area and keeping parking stands free from snow so that when weather permits the area is fit for operations.

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Runway apron snow clearance was going on amid snowfall. All flights were cancelled for the fourth day due to heavy snowfall and bad weather conditions.

Snow clearance job continued throughout night but snowfall again covered the roads. However all teams escalated their work to make possible ambience for aircraft operations but this did not work.

A spokesman of the airport said that executives of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) were working very hard in coordination with Beacon staff and continuously monitoring the situation to avoid snow accumulation in the apron area keeping in view that stranded passengers may reach to their destination.

On the other hand, stretches of highway have slided due to heavy rains and men and machines of the BRO were engaged in restoring the highway. Earth-movers, JCBs, cranes and other machinery and equipment has been deployed to clear the road.

The Mughal Road and the Srinagar-Leh roads are also blocked due to snow.

Traffic police said that the Jammu-Srinagar highway remains blocked due to snow accumulation at Jawahar Tunnel and landslides, mudslides and shooting stons at Samroli, Magarkot, Panthyal, Marog, Cafeteria mor, Dhalwas and Nashri.

Kupwara’s deputy commissioner Anshul Garg said that restoration operations have been initiated on war footing basis in the north Kashmir district. Snow clearance on over 600 Kms roads has been completed by 72 machines that were operational since dawn. Electric supply through 10 of the 17 receiving stations has been charged since morning.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Disaster Management Authority (DMA) has issued High, Medium and Low level avalanche warning for higher reaches of avalanche prone areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

As per a communiqué in this regard, High Danger level avalanche warning has been issued for higher reaches of Poonch, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Kupwara Bandipora and Kulgam districts.

Similarly, medium level avalanche warning has been issued for higher reaches of Rajouri, Udhampur, Ganderbal and Reasi districts.People living in these areas have been advised to take precautions.