SRINAGAR:The national highway, connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, remained closed for the second day today due to landslides triggered by continued rains. Yatris and tourists besides other passengers remained stranded on the highway.
Meanwhile, more than 3,000 vehicles, including those carrying Amarnath pilgrims, who had left Jammu, are stranded at different places, including Udhampur since yesterday morning. Efforts are being made to divert the yatri traffic through alternative historic Mughal road, linking Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region with Shopian in south Kashmir, official sources said.
However, a traffic police official told today that they had no such information so far as the authorities have to look into the security aspect also since there is no deployment of Road Opening Party (ROP) and other arrangements on this road.
He said heavy rains during the past 36 hours triggered landslides and soil erosion on the highway at several places, particularly between Ramban and Ramsu. It was still raining leading to more landslides, he said, adding that the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway has already been pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to put through the traffic.
Traffic will be resumed following a green signal from the BRO and traffic police personnel deployed at several places on the highway. This is the third time the highway was closed since the commencement of annual pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalyas on July 2. However, on earlier occasions, the highway was put through same day after several hours of closure and only yatra vehicles were allowed to move.
Official sources said more than 3000 vehicles, including those carrying pilgrims, were stopped at Udhampur and other places yesterday. Pilgrims and tourists, besides other passengers, alleged that they were allowed to move from Jammu but were stopped at Udhampur and other places which lacked even the basic facilities .” We could not even get food for our children,” they alleged.
The pilgrims said they have railway reservation and their travel plan would get disturbed if the highway remains closed for more days. ”The government must put in all efforts to clear the highway so that we could pay obeisance at the cave shrine and return to catch return train as per schedule,” the pilgrims said.
Similarly, hundreds of trucks carrying essentials for the valley, are also stranded, some of them for the past one week on the highway at different places.
They alleged that traffic police officials were not allowing them to move towards Srinagar even when the road was through.
Vehicle carrying passengers from Srinagar to Jammu were also stopped at Qazigund and Jawahar Tunnel yesterday. However, majority of them were later directed to return Srinagar in the afternoon.
However, pilgrims who had returned to base camps after darshan of the Ice Shivlingam in the cave shrine were stopped at Baltal and Pahalgam.
A yatra official told that the pilgrims will be allowed to move only when the highway is open. ”We have made arrangements and in case of any emergency we can accommodate pilgrims in government buildings,” he said. Arrangements for bedding shave been made, he added.
He appealed to pilgrims not to make any hasty decision as they have all the facilities available at base camps. He said tent wallas and langarwalls are cooperating and providing all facilities to them. Meanwhile, the historic Mughal road, linking the Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region and highway connecting Ladakh with Kashmir were through. (AGENCIES)
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