Srinagar, Feb 21 Snow clearance operation was on Friday started on the 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh National Highway, the only road connecting Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh with Kashmir valley.
The highway remained closed due to accumulation of six feet to 12 feet of snow for the past about three months.
''We have started snow clearance operation on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway from today, about a month earlier following improvement in the weather'', official sources told .
They said sophisticated machines and trained men were put into service from Gagangeer to clear the accumulated snow towards Sonamarg, the last halting station on this side of the Zojila pass on the highway.
Once the 12-km-long stretch was cleared, snow clearance operation would commence towards Zojila pass, they further said.
However, due to threat of avalanches, extra precautionary measures have been taken to prevent any accident during snow clearance operation, they said.
Meanwhile, a report from Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, on the highway said snow clearance operation from other side of the Zojila has yet to commence. It said there were ten to 12 feet of frozen snow on the road between Zojila and Meenmarg.
The Government of India (GoI) has sanctioned two tunnels at Gagangeer and Zojila to make Srinagar-Leh National Highway all weather road.
However, the 86-km-long historic Mughal road, linking Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region and Anantnag-Kishtwar road remained closed for the past about three months.
The 270-km-long Srinagar-Jammu was open for one-way traffic and up convoy was allowed.
Only one-way traffic from Jammu to Srinagar would continue to ply on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway till further orders, a traffic police official told UNI.
However, he said, Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) would have to cross Nagrota, between 0700 hrs to 1300 hrs. Later, Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) would be allowed in the afternoon, he added. |
