SRINAGAR: The national highway, the only road connecting Ladakh region with Kashmir valley, and 86-km-long historic Mughal road were closed due to landslides and fresh snowfall.
Despite heavy rain during the night, the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway was through for traffic for two-way Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) while heavy vehicles will ply one-way only on Monday.
Traffic was suspended on historic 86-km-long Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region due to landslides triggered by heavy rain, a traffic police official said.
However, he said the authorities have already started work to remove the landslides and put through the road. But, he said, traffic on the road will be resumed only after receiving green signal, he said, adding that today traffic was scheduled to ply from Shopian to Buffliaz side only.
Meanwhile, the national highway, linking Ladakh region with Kashmir was closed for traffic following avalanche at Captain Mode and fresh snowfall at Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia.
The BRO has pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to put through the highway. There was three inches of fresh snowfall at Drass , he said.
Traffic on the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway was suspended on Sunday afternoon following landslides and shooting stones due to which two passenger vehicles were damaged. However, no one was injured.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway immediately put into service sophisticated machines and cleared the landslides and stones, a traffic police official said.
He said all the vehicles, including those carrying passengers from both sides, stranded at several places on the highway, were cleared till late on Sunday. However, due to heavy rain, traffic was not allowed on the highway to prevent any accident, he said.
”We have allowed LMVs from both sides on the highway Monday morning,” an official of the Traffic Control Unit (TCU) Ramban told UNI over phone.
Traffic is plying normally on the highway today, he said adding that Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMV) will continue to ply from only one-way. Today HMVs will ply from Jammu to Srinagar and no HMV will be allowed from opposite direction, he said.
But, he said, passengers, drivers and truckers, are requested to contact TCUs in Srinagar, Jammu and other places before undertaking the journey on the highway. (AGENCIES)
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