Jammu and Kashmir: Traffic suspended on Srinagar-Jammu highway, large number of vehicles stranded
Srinagar, Apr 23 (UNI) Traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the only all weather road connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was suspended due to landslides, official sources said on Tuesday.
Hundreds of Jammu bound vehicles, including trucks loaded with fruit, empty oil tankers, are stranded on the highway after the road was closed for traffic due to landslides on Monday afternoon.
Only stranded vehicles would be allowed before decision will be taken to resume normal traffic on the highway, sources told UNI.
They said there were frequent landslides on the highway at several places, particularly between Ramban and Ramsu almost throughout the night. However, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) have already pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to clear the landslides and put through the road.
They said large number of vehicles got stranded on the highway. Fresh traffic will be allowed only after clearing the stranded vehicles, they added.
Meanwhile, people, who were scheduled to travel from Jammu to Srinagar today as per schedule since only one-way traffic is allowed on the highway, are worried as no civilian traffic will be allowed tomorrow on Wednesday.
The authorities have banned civilian traffic twice in a week on Sunday and Wednesday to allow free and secure movement of security force convoy. However, ban has evoked sharp reaction from mainstream, separatist and traders who are demanding lifting of ban.
Meanwhile, snow clearance operation was going on war footing on to put through the national highway, the only road link between Ladakh and Kashmir, which is closed since November last year. The road was reopened last year on April 6, official sources said adding snowfall in March and April has hampered the snow clearance operation, which is going on from both sides of the Zojila. People in border town of Drass and Kargil alleged shortage of essentials, particularly fresh vegetables.
The Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region also remained closed though snow clearance operation has been started from both sides of Pir-ki-Gali.
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