Hundreds of vehicles leave Jammu for Srinagar on Kashmir Highway

SRINAGAR:  Despite prediction of wet weather, hundreds of vehicles, including trucks carrying essential commodities and oil tankers, left Jammu for Kashmir early in the morning, as only one-way traffic continued to ply on the 270-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the road connecting the valley with the rest of the country.

However, traffic on Srinagar-Jammu national highway is expected to be disrupted due to prediction of light to moderate rain and snow for about two days from Wednesday.

”Traffic will ply from Jammu to Srinagar on Tuesday and no vehicle will be allowed from opposite direction,” a traffic police official said this morning.

He said Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) were allowed to move in the morning, while Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) will be allowed in the afternoon. ”Only one-way traffic will continue on the highway till further orders,” he added.

One-way traffic has proven to be a success and for the past more than over two weeks, traffic is plying normally on the highway, which otherwise was witnessing heavy traffic jam for hours.

Meanwhile, the 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway, the only road linking the Union Territory of Ladakh with Kashmir, remained closed for the past over two months. There is more than 6-12 feet snow on the highway, including at Zojila pass, which has frozen due to below freezing temperature.

Similarly, the historic 86-km-long Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch and Anantnag-Kishtwar road, remained closed due to accumulation of snow for the past two months. ”These roads are likely to reopen in March-April,” the official added. (agencies)