SRINAGAR : Only one-way traffic will be allowed to ply on the Srinagar-Leh national highway, which connects Ladakh region with Kashmir valley, till November 23 after which the road will be closed for the winter months.
Meanwhile, the national highway, linking Kashmir valley with the rest of the country and historic Mughal road were through for two-way traffic.
A traffic police official told that today traffic will ply from Kashmir valley to Ladakh region. However, no vehicle will be allowed from opposite direction.
”We allowed light vehicles today”, he said, adding heavy vehicles will be allowed in the afternoon to Ladakh.
The decision to keep the highway open till November 23 was taken at a high-level meeting which was held at Sonmarg yesterday.
An official spokesperson here today said the meeting, which was chaired by Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon, decided to keep the national highway open till November 23 to clear all the stranded vehicles from the road.
The spokesperson said that 50 heavy vehicles would ply on the road daily.
Starting today, the vehicles would leave alternately from Sonamarg to Zojila and the other way round, he said, adding no heavy vehicle would be allowed to cross Sonamarg and Mini Marg after 1200 hrs.
Meanwhile, Mr Samoon directed that two recovery machines should permanently be stationed on the highway at Gumri and Captain Mode to clear any broken vehicle. The highway gets closed for six winter months due to heavy snowfall between Sonmarg on this side of the Zojila pass and Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia.
The Centre and state governments have already approved construction of a tunnel at Zojila pass to make it all weather road.
Meanwhile, authorities have stocked essentials, including rice, wheat flour, sugar, LPG, kerosene oil, diesel, patrol and medicine at different places in the region which remained cut off for six winter months due to snowfall, particularly in Zojila area.
For the past few years the highway was being kept through till December or January against previous practice of declaring the lifeline to Ladakh closed from November 1 every year.
Meanwhile, two-way traffic was plying on the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway and Mughal raod, linking Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region.
However, due to slippery road conditions in the morning and evening, vehicles are being allowed to ply on the Mughal road between 0900 hrs to 1700 hrs. (UNI)
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