SRINAGAR:
Hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying passengers, got stranded on the National Highway (NH), connecting the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country following landslides in Ramban area today.
The highway has been closed as there were fresh landslides, triggered by rain, at Pedah area in Ramban sector on the highway, a traffic police official said here this afternoon. He said the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway has pressed into service sophisticated machine and men to put through the highway.
He said despite rain, the highway was through this morning for one-way and traffic was allowed to ply from Jammu to Srinagar. He said no vehicle was allowed from Srinagar to Jammu today. Hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying passengers and trucks loaded with essentials got stranded on the highway. Long queues of vehicles could be seen on several kms on other side of the Pedah where the landslides occurred, official sources said.
The traffic department had announced that subject to weather and road condition, traffic will ply from Srinagar to Jammu tomorrow. However he had said drivers and passengers are requested to contact Traffic Control Room before starting their journey.
Official sources said that there are some points on the highway where only one vehicle could pass because of the damage caused to the road due to landslides and soil erosion. The BRO are working to repair the damaged portion of the road so that two vehicles could pass easily, they said. (AGENCIES)