Excelsior Correspondent
POONCH, Mar 21: As the landslides from Poonch-Rawalakote road were removed by authorities on that side of the LoC, total 90 passengers crossed sides at the Chakkan-da-Bagh cross LoC point in Poonch after 15 days today.
On Monday last, the bus service between Poonch and Rawlakote (PoK) could not operate due to landslides on that side of the LoC. About a dozen PoK residents remained stranded here for a week and had to go back to their respective relatives on this side.
Today, when the road was opened, 40 passengers from this side crossed over to PoK. They included 13 Indians and 27 PoK returnees.
A total 50 passengers including 46 PoK visitors arrived here at Chakkan-Da Bagh LoC point from that side. Four of them were the J&K residents who returned here after staying with their relatives in PoK. The LoC point was opened between 12.30 pm and 1 pm.
Meanwhile, seven guests from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) arrived here while 23 Kashmiris crossed over to other side of the Line of Control (LoC) as Karvan-e-Aman bus operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, suspended last week, resumed today.
As many as 22 returnees also crossed sides at the Kaman post, the last Indian military post on this side of the LoC in Uri sector in north Kashmir district of Baramulla, official sources said.
The cross-Line of Control (LoC) bus service was cancelled on March 14 due to landslides, triggered by heavy rains in PoK side. There were landslides between Baramulla-Salamabad on this side of the LoC recently which were cleared immediately.
Seven PoK residents, including three women and a child, arrived at Kaman post after crossing the Aman Setu peace bridge to meet their relatives, separated in 1947 due to partition.
They said 21 Kashmiris, including those who could travel due to cancelation of bus last week, returned to their homes in the bus today. They included eight women and five children who had gone to PoK in previous buses.
Twenty three Kashmiris, including 13 women and a child, crossed over to other side of the LoC to meet their relatives. However, only a resident of PoK also returned to his home after completing stay in Kashmir.
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