| Traffic resumes on Kashmir highway; Leh, Mughal roads remain shut | | |
Srinagar, Jan 30: Traffic was resumed on Wednesday morning on the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the only road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest
of the country after landslides and shooting stones were cleared during night-long operation. The historic 86-km-long Mughal road and the National Highway, connecting Ladakh region with Kashmir remained shut due to
accumulation of snow.Since only one-way traffic was being allowed on the highway, traffic will ply on Wednesday from
Srinagar to Jammu and no vehicle, including security force convoy, would be allowed from
opposite direction, a traffic police official told UNI.
Over 200 trucks, loaded with fruit, and about 2000 empty trucks, oil tankers, stranded for the
past about a week at Qazigund and other places, left for Jammu this morning. He said traffic movement on the highway was disrupted due to continuous shooting stones and landslides at Anokhifall, Battery Cheshma and other places between Banihal and Ramban on Tuesday when traffic was to ply from Srinagar to Jammu. However, Jammu-bound passengers alleged that they had to return to Srinagar in the evening after waiting for more than eight hours at Qazigund due to snarls caused by traffic mismanagement between Banihal and Ramban. They alleged that traffic from here was stopped as stranded vehicles from Jammu were being cleared yesterday. However, traffic spokesman said there were landslides and shooting stones in the afternoon
yesterday. 'We resumed traffic for few hours before the highway was again closed due to fresh shooting
stones and landslides at Anokhifall and Batery Cheshma,' he added. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO),
responsible for the maintenance of the highway, worked throughout the night only to put through the road again this morning. There is a forecast for fresh widespread rain and snow besides avalanche warning on January 30
and 31 which could affect surface and air traffic.
The historic Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region remained closed since December last year due to accumulation of several feet snow. The National Highway, the only road linking Leh, Kargil and Drass in Ladakh region with
Kashmir, also remained closed during the past about two months due to accumulation of snow, particularly between Sonmarg-Zojila-Meenmarg. The Anantnag in south Kashmir to Kishtwar road in Jammu region also remained closed due to
snow |
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