SRINAGAR : Traffic on the National Highway, connecting the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country was restored after remaining suspended for several hours due to landslides and shooting stones, triggered by heavy rains today.
“We allowed some vehicles, including those carrying passengers, to leave for Srinagar from Jammu,” a traffic police official said. However, no vehicle was allowed from any part of the Jammu region after this afternoon. Since only one-way traffic is plying on the highway since December last year, today vehicles from Jammu to Srinagar were allowed. No vehicle was allowed from opposite direction.
He said heavy rains triggered landslides at Penthal, Digdol and Batrey Cheshma last evening, forcing authorities to suspend traffic on the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu highway.
There was improvement in the weather this afternoon so the traffic was allowed, he said. There were landslides and shooting stones due to heavy rains at Penthal and other places on the highway yesterday. However, Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway continued to clear the landslides.
“We cleared 6,000 vehicles, which had left Srinagar yesterday, to cross these troubled spot till last evening, he said, adding that but due to darkness vehicles were stopped later. Once a green signal is received, we will allow the stranded vehicles before allowing fresh traffic,” he said.
There is snowfall at Jawahar tunnel and heavy rains on other side of the tunnel, he said adding that landslides and shooting stones continued at Penthal. But the weather has improved and BRO has cleared landslides and highway was now through. (AGENCIES)
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