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| Traffic resumes on Kashmir highway, COVID patients can travel via Mughal road | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
SRINAGAR, May 20: Traffic was on Thursday resumed on the 270-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the only all weather road connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, after remaining suspended on Wednesday for weekly maintenance.
Meanwhile, COVID pandemic patients can also travel via historic 86-km-long Mughal road to reach Srinagar instead of taking more than 500 km-long Jammu route to reach summer capital for treatment. Only Jammu bound load carriers with perishable fruit and vegetables besides empty trucks and oil tankers were being allowed to travel on the road, which connects Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu.
''We allowed traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu highway today after remaining suspended on Wednesday to allow National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to undertake necessary weekly maintenance and repair work on the road''.
He said today Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) were allowed from both Jammu and Srinagar. However, the Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) and security forces will ply from Srinagar to Jammu. The Jammu bound LMVs had to cross Zig Qazigund between 0800 hrs to 1200 hrs while Kashmir bound vehicles will be allowed to ply between 0700 hrs to 1200 hrs from Nagrota and from 0800 hrs to 1300 hrs at Jekhani Udhampur. No vehicle will be allowed before and after cut off timing, he said.
Meanwhile, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has directed to allow COVID-19 pandemic and other needy patients to travel from Thursday on the historic Mughal road which was reopened only recently after remaining closed since December last year due to snowfall.
In a tweet on official twitter handle Sinha said “Keeping in view COVID pandemic & need for patients to get best possible treatment, Mughal road be also opened from tomorrow for those referred for medical treatment to Srinagar from Poonch & Rajouri districts. The Deputy Commissioners and Divisional Commissioners of Kashmir and Jammu will put a system in place to enable this to happen.”
The road, seen as alternative to Srinagar-Jammu highway, was reopened only recently and only Jammu bound load carriers and trucks and oil tankers were allowed to ply. No passenger vehicle or pedestrian movement was allowed on the road, evoking massive reaction from residents of Rajouri and Poonch besides different political parties and besides living on both sides of the road.
People alleged that though the snow clearance operation was completed in April, no traffic and pedestrian movement was allowed on the road by the authorities.
The political leaders alleged that people, including patients, of Rajouri and Poonch had to travel about 600 kms first to Jammu before proceeding to Srinagar when the distance via Mughal raod is just 86 kms which takes just four to five hours to reach summer capital. |
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