SRINAGAR: Traffic on 270-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway has been suspended on Friday in view of the weekly maintenance of the road which is linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country.
No vehicle was allowed from Jammu or Srinagar today to allow National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to undertake necessary weekly maintenance and repair of the work, a traffic police official said.
After frequent closure of the highway due to landslides and shooting stones, the Union Territory (UT) administration decided to allow NHAI to undertake maintenance and repair of the road on every Friday.
However, vehicular movement from Jammu to Patnitop, Doda, Kishtwar and Bhaderwah and vice versa shall remain operational, official said. Meanwhile, the national highway, the only road connecting Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh with Kashmir remained closed since January Ist, 2021 due to accumulation of snow.
However, the highway is likely to reopen for traffic movement from February 28 as the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has completed snow clearance operation. However, the historic 86-km-long Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu remained closed since December last year due to accumulation of snow.
People of Rajouri and Poonch protested demanding early clearance of snow on the road. The questioned if snow was cleared on Srinagar-Leh national highway which is more dangerous, why snow clearance operation was not started on Mughal road.
Demanding early reopening of the road, the residents said that if they have to visit Kashmir, they had to travel more than 350 kms via Jammu when through Mughal road it less than 100 km. Meanwhile, snow clearance operation was going on war footing on Anantnag-Kishtwar road which remained close since December last year. (agencies)
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