SRINAGAR: Hundreds of vehicles remained stranded for the second successive day on Friday following closure of 270-km-long Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the only all weather road connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, due to landslides and shooting stones.
”Traffic on the highway remained suspended for the second successive day due to fresh landslides and shooting stones at Trishul Morh and adjoining areas in Ramban,” a traffic police official said.
Hundreds of vehicles, including SRTC buses ferrying stranded people and trucks carrying essential commodities, remained stranded at various places on the highway due to the closure of the highway. ”About 1100 vehicles are stranded in up traffic while about 130 vehicles are stranded in down traffic on the highway since Thursday,” he added.
He said the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has already pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to clear the landslides. However, he said continued shooting stones and fresh landslides were hampering the operation. ”Traffic will be resumed only after receiving a green signal from NHAI and traffic police officials posted at different places on the highway,” he said.
Only essential service vehicles and SRTC buses, ferrying stranded passengers who were returning from different parts of the country, have been allowed to ply on the highway in view of nation-wide lockdown to curtail the spread of COVID-19. (agencies)
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