| Srinagar-Jammu highway reopens, historic Mughal road remain closed | | |
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Nov 29: Traffic was resumed on Friday and stranded vehicles were allowed to move on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the only all weather road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country. However, the historic 86-km-long Mughal road remained closed since November 6 due to several feet of fresh snowfall during the past 24 hours.
The highway was closed following moderate to heavy snowfall on the highway at Qazigund, Banihal, Jawhar tunnel and other areas since Wednesday night after heavy rain.
There were landslides and shooting stones at several places, including Digdol, Penthal and Mompasi on Wednesday.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) have pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to clear the snow and landslides on the highway. After day-long clearance operation, Kashmir bound 2000 stranded vehicles, mostly trucks were allowed to move last evening. However due to fresh snowfall at Jawahar tunnel and shooting stones between Ramban and Ramsu, traffic was again suspended on the highway. There are still 850 trucks, carrying essentials for Kashmir besides150 passenger vehicles are stranded at different places, including Udhampur.
The highway was again put through today after snow and landslides were cleared. However, he said, only Kashmir bound stranded vehicles were allowed to move towards their respective destinations. Fresh traffic will be allowed only after stranded vehicles are cleared, he said.
The historic Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region, remained closed since November 6 due to snowfall.
He said there was about about a foot of fresh snowfall at Hairpora while Dobjan-Pir-ki-Gali recorded two to three feet of fresh snowfall during the past 24 hours, hampering snow clearance operation. Due to accumulation of several feet of snow coupled with below freezing temperature during the day, there is very little chance of resuming traffic on the road, which remained closed during six winter months every year. |
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