SRINAGAR : Jammu-Srinagar National Highway reopened today for one-way vehicular traffic after being closed for two days due to heavy snowfall and landslides.
However, the roads to far-flung and remote areas, including those near the Line of Control (LoC) and Srinagar-Leh national highway remained closed since December last year due to snowfall.
Traffic police spokesman said vehicles, stranded on the highway, were cleared early this morning before allowing fresh traffic from Jammu to Srinagar.
However, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway, pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to clear snow and landslides, he said.
Trucks and tankers carrying essential goods and those with passengers left Jammu for the Kashmir valley. However, the vehicles had to cross Nagrota by 1000 hrs, he said.
Hundreds of Kashmir-bound passengers protested at Jammu bus
stand yesterday alleging that the district administration had failed to provide them any relief.
They alleged that with the closure of the highway, the prices of essentials and rent of rooms increases several times.
Truckers, stranded at Qazigund, gateway of Kashmir, and other places on this side of the Jawhar tunnel in the valley, complained
that they were also not provided any relief by the authorities.
Roads connecting far-flung villages with their respective district and tehsil headquarters in south Kashmir districts of Kulgam and Shopian remained closed due to heavy snowfall.
People at Shopian alleged that despite making tall claims of gearing up the administration to meet any challenge of snowfall, majority roads in the district remained closed as there was no efforts by the administration to clear the accumulated snow.
The border towns of Keran, Karnah, Tanghdar, Machil, Dawar and Neeru also remained closed since December last year.
The highway connecting the Ladakh region with the rest of the state also remained closed since December last year due to heavy snowfall between Sonamarg-Zojila and Meenmarg. (AGENCIES)
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