Overview

• Traffic was halted on the Jammu–Srinagar highway (NH-44) due to landslides and shooting stones in the Ramban–Banihal sector, while snow closed the Srinagar–Leh route over Zojila, the Mughal Road and Sinthan Top.
• Road-clearance teams and machinery were deployed, with officials saying vehicles were stopped at Nagrota and expressing hope of easing the NH-44 blockade by late afternoon Tuesday.
• The Meteorological Department forecast wet weather through Tuesday forenoon or afternoon and signalled improvement from Wednesday, with several outlets indicating a largely dry spell afterward.
• Authorities suspended the Vaishno Devi and Machail Mata pilgrimages and kept schools shut across the Jammu division for a second day, with pilgrimages scheduled to resume Wednesday subject to conditions.
• Fresh snow covered Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonamarg and other higher reaches as rain soaked the plains; Srinagar’s maximum fell to about 12.5°C on Monday, and tourists thronged meadows like Gulmarg’s Kongdori.