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| Srinagar-Jammu highway reopens after 3 days, Leh, Mughal roads still shut | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Dec 23: One-way traffic resumed on Srinagar-Jammu national highway on Monday afternoon after remaining suspended for three days due to washing away of a portion of road and landslides.
Only stranded vehicles from Jammu to Srinagar were allowed to move, a traffic police official told UNI this afternoon. No vehicle will be allowed from opposite direction, he added.
Several thousand vehicles, mostly trucks carrying fruit are stranded on this side of the Jawahar tunnel for the past ten days.
Meanwhile, the Srinagar-Leh national highway and historic 86-km-long Mughal and Anantnag-Kishtwar roads remained closed for the past thirteen days on Monday due to accumulation of several feet of snow and slippery road condition.
Traffic on the highway was suspended on Thursday night after a portion of road was washed away due to landslides at Digdol. However, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) immediately pressed into service sophisticated machines and men and removed the debris and made new road in the area on highway. Traffic was allowed to move on the highway after new road was constructed and landslides were removed, he said.
Stranded vehicles, including those carrying essentials for Kashmir valley and passengers were allowed to move, he said adding no vehicle was allowed from opposite direction. He said subject condition of the road, traffic will be allowed from Srinagar to Jammu tomorrow.
Meanwhile, a traffic police officials said that only one-way traffic will continue on the highway till further orders as the road at several places is very narrow where only one vehicle can pass at a time. He appealed to people to strictly follow the advisory being issued by the traffic department daily. He appealed to people to contact Traffic Control Units (TCUs) at Srinagar, Jammu and Ramban before starting journey on the highway.
However, drivers and people travelling on the highway alleged that there is traffic jam for hours almost daily between Qazigund to Ramsu as vehicles are being allowed to ply from both sides despite announcing one-way traffic.
Fruit growers on Kashmir alleged that several thousand trucks, carrying fruit for different mandis in the country, are stranded on this side of the Jawahar tunnel for the past more than ten days. Our trucks remained stranded when other vehicles are being allowed to move, they said and alleged that when traffic was restored recently authorities allowed traffic from Jammu to Srinagar for two consecutive days. They said fruit in trucks has started getting damaged and if immediately measures are not taken to allow these trucks to move towards Jammu, they (growers) will suffer a loss of crores of rupees. Passengers stranded in Ramban and other areas on the highway alleged that there is absolutely no facility of wash rooms and drinking water in the area. Majority passengers, including children and elderly persons remained without food. However, at Qazigund locals arranged rice and other essentials for stranded passengers and truckers.
The historic Mughal road, linking Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region remained closed for the past 13 days on Monday due to accumulation of snowfall and slippery road conditions. There was several feet of fresh snowfall during the past 24 hours on the highway, particularly at Pir-ki-Gali and Harpora.
The 434-km-long national highway, the only road connecting Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh with Kashmir also remained closed for the past 13 days due to accumulation of snow and slippery road conditions. The Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, has already announced closure of the highway for winter months. However, UT Ladakh said they were not consulted before announcing closure. |
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