All roads leading to Kashmir closed due to fresh snowfall

Meanwhile, the national highway, the only road connecting Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh with Kashmir, historic 86-km-long Mughal road and Anantnag- Sampthan Kishtwar road have been closed for winter months due to accumulation of snow and slippery road conditions.

Traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway has been suspended due to fresh snowfall on both sides of the Jawahar tunnel, Shaitan Nallah and Banihal, a traffic police official told UNI on Sunday.

It was also raining between Ramban and Ramsu and other areas, he said.

He said it was snowing when the last report came in. However, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for maintenance of the road, have put in place sophisticated machines at different places to clear the snow.

But, due to continued snowfall, the snow clearance operation was delayed, he said.

Meanwhile, a large number of vehicles, including those carrying essentials, are stranded at different places on the highway.

Once the road opens, the stranded vehicles will be allowed to move before the fresh traffic is allowed, he said.

The national highway connecting UT Ladakh with Kashmir has been closed for winter months by the authorities due to accumulation of heavy snow and slippery road conditions.

The Anantnag-Sampathan road and Mughal road connecting south Kashmir with Rajouri, Poonch and Kishtwar in Jammu region have also been closed for winter months due to accumulation of heavy snow on these roads.