SRINAGAR : The 270-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the only all weather road connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was closed on Tuesday due to landslides, triggered by rain during the night.
However, the national highway, the only road linking the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh with Kashmir valley and 86-km-long historic Mughal road are open for one-way traffic.
Traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway was suspended followed landslides triggered by rains during the night at Nehad in Ramban, a traffic police official said.
He said the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) an Border Roads Organisation (BRO) have already pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to clear the landslides and put through the highway.
However, he said, reports received said that it may take five to six hours to clear the landslides provided there is no fresh landslides and shooting stones.
Though there is no rain this morning but the sky is cloudy, he said. Meanwhile, hundreds of vehicles, mostly carrying essentials, are stranded on the highway.
Once a green signal received, stranded vehicles will be allowed to move towards their respective destinations before allowing fresh traffic. He said today (Tuesday) traffic was to ply from Jammu to Srinagar. However, only essential commodity vehicles are being allowed to ply on the highway.
He said security forces are advised to undertake the journey on the highway only after confirming the status of the road from Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) highway.
The historic Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region, was through for one-way traffic only. He said only vehicles, carrying fresh fruit from Kashmir valley will be allowed to ply between 1100 hrs to 1600 hrs. No vehicle will be allowed after the deadline, he said. (agencies)
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