Traffic restored on Kashmir highway, only stranded vehicles allowed
SRINAGAR: Traffic was on Wednesday restored after remaining suspended for few hours in the morning due to landslides on 270-km-long national highway, though only stranded vehicles would be allowed to ply on the road. Snow clearance operation has been completed on record time while repair work has been undertaken on Srinagar-Leh national highway, which remained closed for the past about three months due to accumulation of about ten to 12 feet of snow and avalanche threat. The historic 86-km-long Mughal and Anantnag-Kishtwar roads remained closed due to accumulation of snow for the past about three months.
”Traffic has been restored in the afternoon on the highway after remaining suspended again this morning due to fresh landslides at several places in Ramban, including Kharpura,” a traffic police official said this morning.
Hundreds of vehicles, including the ones carrying passengers, were stranded at various places on the highway due to the closure of the highway in the morning.
However, he said the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) pressed into service sophisticated machines and cleared the landslides. ”Traffic was resumed after receiving a green signal from NHAI and traffic police officials posted at different places on the highway,” he said.
He said only stranded vehicles were allowed to move towards Jammu. ”There was slow movement of traffic due to single stretch (narrow road) at many places along the highway,” he said.
He said only one-way traffic will continue to ply on the highway till further orders on the highway as the road is very narrow and damaged at several places between Ramban and Ramsu where only one vehicle could pass easily.
Frequent closure of the highway since its expansion has been a major cause of concern for the people living in Kashmir valley, where suspension of traffic results in increase in the rates of essential commodities by any folds.
Official sources said that snow clearance operation has been completed on 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway from Sonamarg in central Kashmir district of Ganderbal to zero point on the Zojila top.
They said the Beacon will now carry out repair and maintenance work on the road to make it motorable. ”Once the repair work is done, the road will be thrown open for traffic likely at the end of this month,” they added.
The historic Mughal road, linking Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region, remained closed due to accumulation of huge snow on the highway, particularly Pir-ki-Gali. There are also threat of avalanches on the road, which is seen as alternative to Srinagar-Jammu highway. The Anantnag to Kishtwar road also remained closed due to snow accumulation. (AGENCIES)
