SRINAGAR: One-way traffic was resorted on Wednesday morning on the 270-km-long Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, connecting Kashmir with rest of the country. Meanwhile, massive snow clearance operation by Beacon project was going on to put through the highway.
”Traffic has been allowed to ply on the highway from Jammu to Srinagar on Wednesday morning,” a traffic police official said. He said after getting green signal from the traffic and NHAI officials, hundreds of vehicles were allowed to move from Jammu to Srinagar.
He added that only one-way traffic would continue to ply on the highway till further orders as the road was very narrow and damaged at several places between Ramban and Ramsu where only one vehicle could pass easily.
The National Highway was closed on Tuesday evening due to landslides and shooting stones, triggered by rain between Ramban and Ramsu. However, he said the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) pressed into service sophisticated machines and cleared the road.
Frequent closure of the highway for the past one week has badly hit the movement of vehicles, particularly carrying essentials and passengers. The 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh highway remained closed for the past nearly three months due to accumulation of snow and slippery road conditions.
The Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region remained closed for the past two months.
It would take about two more months to put a through road which was seen as alternative to Srinagar-Jammu highway. The Anantnag-Kishtwar road also remained closed due to snow.
There was fresh snowfall during the past 24 hours at several places on both the roads.
(agencies)