Kashmir highway through despite rain; Leh, Gurez, Mughal roads closed

SRINAGAR :  The national highway, connecting the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country was through despite rain while Srinagar-Leh, historic Mughal and Gurez roads remained closed due to snow and slippery road conditions.
A traffic police official said that the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway was through for traffic though there was rain since this morning.
”We allowed vehicles, including those carrying passengers, from both sides on the highway with some restrictions to avoid traffic jam,” he said.
However, the national highway, linking the Ladakh region with Kashmir remained closed due to accumulation of snow and slippery road conditions.
There is a snow and slippery road conditions, particularly between Sonamarg-Meenmarg, including Zojila pass, forcing authorities to close the highway for winter months.      A  large number of trucks are stranded on the other side of the Zojila pass. The drivers alleged that they were not allowed to move towards Kashmir when the highway was through for traffic.
The 86-km-long historic Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region also remained closed since January 1 for winter months. There is snow at several places, including Pir-ki-Gali, official sources said, adding that the road has become very slippery which could result in accidents.
The Bandipora-Gurez road, connecting dozens of villages, including those near the Line of Control (LoC) also remained closed for winter due to accumulation of snow. (UNI)