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| Stranded vehicles allowed to ply on Kashmir highway after 2 days | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Nov 9 Traffic on national highway, the only road connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was resumed on Saturday after remaining suspended since Thursday due to heavy snowfall and landslides. However, only stranded vehicles were allowed to move towards their respective destinations on the highway, a traffic police official told this morning.
Meanwhile, the 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway and historic 86-km-long Mughal road remained closed for the four the day on Saturday due to accumulation of snow and threat of avalanche.
Official said that there was several feet of snowfall at Jawahar tunnel, Shaitan Nallah, Banihal and Qazigund, forcing authorities to suspend traffic movement on the Srinagar-Jammu highway on Thursday. Heavy rain also triggered over a dozen landslides between Ramban and Ramsu, he added.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) immediately put into service sophisticated machines and men to clear the snow and landslides, he said.
Though snow clearance operation was completed on this side of the tunnel yesterday, but fresh landslides in Ramban area hampered the road clearance operation. All landslides were cleared till Friday evening, but there were four fresh landslides late in the night. However, the BRO and NHAI worked during the night and cleared the landslides, he said, adding it was later decided this morning to allow stranded vehicles to move on the highway.
He said there were over 2000 vehicles, mostly carrying fruits from different parts of the Kashmir valley to outside mandis, stranded on this side of the tunnel. "We have allowed fruit trucks to move towards Jammu and by 1000 hrs over 900 such vehicles have crossed the landslide prone areas," he said.
Kashmir-bound stranded vehicles, including those carrying essentials, will be allowed to move only after Jammu bound vehicles will be cleared.
He said fresh traffic will be allowed from Jammu and Srinagar only after receiving positive message from traffic police officials posted at different places on the highway.
He said people who are undertaking the journey on the highway are advised to first contact Traffic Control Units (TCUs) at Jammu, Srinagar and other places
The historic Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch, also remained closed for the fourth day today due to accumulation of several feet of snow and slippery road conditions. The district authorities of Rajouri, Poonch and Shopian have already started snow clearance operation on the road which is seen as alternative to Srinagar Jammu national highway. The centre has already approved a tunnel to make it all weather road, which remained closed for six winter months due to heavy snowfall.
Meanwhile, the national highway, linking UT Ladakh with the Kashmir valley, also remained closed for the fourth day today due to snow and slippery road condition.
Hundreds of trucks besides passenger vehicle are stranded on both sides of the Zojila pass due to slippery road conditions following snowfall.
The BRO has pressed into service snow clearance machines to put through the highway, which also remained closed for winter months. However, due to avalanche threat and continued snowfall, snow clearance operation gets hampered, he said. |
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