SRINAGAR: One-way traffic was allowed today on the highway which connects the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country after remaining suspended since Friday last due to landslides, triggered by heavy rains. “We allowed only Light Motor Vehicles (LMV) from Jammu to Srinagar,” a traffic police official told UNI this afternoon. He said LMV, mostly carrying passengers who were stranded at Jammu and other places are on way to Srinagar. However, several thousand heavy vehicles, including trucks carrying essentials, are stranded at Jammu and other places on the highway for the past about one week. Large number of passengers were stranded at Jammu bus stand who were demanding that they be airlifted to Srinagar. He said the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the Highway has already pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to repair the damaged portion of the Highway and also remove landslides. “We received green signal from the BRO and traffic police officials posted at different places,” he said, adding that no vehicle was allowed from Srinagar to Jammu. The Highway was initially closed for one-day on Friday afternoon to allow BRO to undertake repair work so that vehicles could pass safely.
However, heavy rains triggered fresh landslides at several places on the highway.
Several thousand vehicles, including those carrying fresh vegetables and oil tankers for Kashmir valley, are stranded at Jammu, Udhampur and other places on the highway, resulting in shortage of essentials in the summer capital. Large number of empty trucks and oil tankers are also stranded for the past about one week on this side of the Jawahar tunnel.
(AGENCIES)