SRINAGAR : The Kashmir valley remained cut off from the rest of the country for the second day today following closure of the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway due to fresh snowfall, landslides and shooting stones.
Meanwhile, fresh snowfall on the national highway, connecting Ladakh region with Kashmir, has badly hampered snow clearance operation.
There was also fresh snowfall on historic Mughal road, linking Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region.
The highway, the only road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, remained closed for the second day today, a traffic police official said this morning.
He said some stranded vehicles were allowed yesterday in the afternoon but there were again landslides at several places between Ramban and Ramsu forcing to suspend traffic again.
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.
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, had pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to put through the highway. However, continued rain, triggering more landslides, has been hampering the operation.
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.
Despite opening and dedicating of the longest Chenani and Nashri road tunnel by Prime Minister to nation, traffic on the road often gets disrupted due to landslides between Ramban and Ramsu portion.
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, officials said, adding that but fresh snowfall besides threat of avalanche could delay the early reopening of highway, which was closed in December last year.
Similarly, there was also fresh snowfall on historic Mughal road 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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