| Highway connecting Ladakh with Kashmir remains shut due to fresh snow, avalanches | | | Srinagar, Mar 1: Hours after the national highway, connecting Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh with Kashmir, was put through for traffic after remaining closed since January Ist, 2021on Sunday, the 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh was again closed due to fresh snowfall and avalanches. Though the Beacon claimed that road was reopened on Sunday about one and half months earlier, a traffic police official said Monday that Srinagar-Leh national highway remained closed due to accumulation of fresh snowfall and avalanches at several places Sunday. Officials said one C-17 flight will operate between Leh and Jammu while two C 130 between Srinagar and Leh on Monday to airlift the stranded passengers, who could not travel due to closure of the highway.
The Beacon project officers at Sonamarg had declared the highway open for traffic yesterday after the accumulation snow was cleared one and half a months earlier.
However, traffic official said there were two snow avalanches on the highway yesterday. One avalanche occurred at Sonamarg in central Kashmir district of Ganderbal near Army convoy ground, they said, adding there was no report of any loss of life or damage to property.
He said the Beacon has pressed into service sophisticated machines to clear the accumulated snow, particularly at Zojila pass, and avalanches at Sonamarg.
Once the snow is cleared and green signal is received traffic will be restored on the highway, he said adding the highway will remain closed till further orders.
This is for the first time the highway remained open till December 31st last year. During the previous years the highway was being closed from November till April or May every year.
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