SRINAGAR : The Kashmir valley remained cut off from the rest of the country for the 5th day today due to closure of the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway due to landslides.
Hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying passengers and trucks loaded with essentials, are stranded on the highway at several places on other side of Jawahar tunnel.
”We allowed some stranded vehicles to move yesterday for a brief period but fresh landslides and shooting stones forced us to suspend traffic again,” a traffic police official said.
Meanwhile, the Ladakh region remained cut off from the Kashmir valley though the road was put through from Srinagar to Gumri on this side of the Zojila pass.
There was also fresh snowfall on historic Mughal road, linking Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region, which remained closed for the past four months.
He said stranded vehicles were allowed to move yesterday before they were again stopped following fresh landslides at several places between Ramban and Ramsu.
Hundreds of Kashmir-bound vehicles, particularly those carrying essentials, including vegetables, are stranded at different places, including Jammu, Udhampur and Nagrota due to closure of the highway.
The prices of essentials has witnessed increase due to closure of the highway.
Similarly, empty trucks and oil tankers besides other vehicles are stranded on this side of the Jawahar tunnel.
However, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway, has already pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to put through the highway. However, continued rain, triggering more landslides yesterday.
Traffic police official said traffic on the highway will be allowed only after receiving green signal from the BRO and traffic police personnel deployed at several places.
Traffic on the highway was disrupted frequently since January 6 when there was first major snowfall in the valley. Closure of the highway resulted in shortage and increase of prices of essentials in the valley, where everything is imported from different State.
However, BRO reopened the highway but only one-way traffic was allowed as the road remained damaged and narrow at several places due to landslides.
There was fresh snowfall on Srinagar-Leh national highway, particularly at Zojila pass and Zero point, hampering the snow clearance operation launched by BEACON authorities. Snow clearance operation was going on from both sides of the Zojila pass but fresh snowfall besides threat of avalanche could delay the early reopening of highway, which was closed in December last year.
The authorities have allowed light vehicle traffic from Srinagar to Gumri only on the highway, which remained closed for the past four months. Similarly, there was also fresh snowfall on historic Mughal raod badly affecting snow clearance operation.
The road, which is seen as alternative to Srinagar-Jammu highway, was to reopen on April 15 after remaining closed for the past four months. Dozens of far-flung and remote areas, including those near the Line of Control (LoC) remained cut off from their respective district headquarters for the past four months due to accumulation of snow.
There was fresh snowfall at Razdan pass, connecting border town of Gurez, surrounded by Pakistan-occupied- Kashmir (PoK), with Bandipora. (AGENCIES)
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