SRINAGAR: Traffic was on Thursday resumed on the national highway, the only all-weather road connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, after remaining suspended on Wednesday in view of weekly maintenance.
The 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway also remained open for one-way traffic while the historic 86-km-long Mughal road remained shut since December last year though snow clearance operation has been completed last month.
We resumed two-way Light Motor Vehicle (LMV) traffic this morning on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, a traffic police official said.
He said no traffic was allowed from Srinagar or Jammu sides on the highway to allow the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to undertake weekly maintenance and repair work.
Today LMVs were allowed from both sides, he said adding Kashmir bound vehicles had to cross Nagrota between 0800 hrs to 1200 hrs and Jekhani Udhampur from 0900 hrs to 1300 hrs. No vehicle will be allowed before and after the cut off timing, he added.
He said Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) and other load carriers will be allowed from Zig Qazigund towards Jammu. However, security forces are advised not to ply against traffic advisory, he said adding they will ply from Jammu to Srinagar.
An official said one-way traffic will ply from Srinagar to Kargil on the national highway, the only road connecting Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh with Kashmir. No vehicle will be allowed from the opposite direction, he said adding Ladakh bound vehicles had to cross Sonamarg in central Kashmir district of Ganderbal between 0700 hrs to 1500 hrs.
The Mughal road, seen as an alternative to the Srinagar-Jammu highway, remained closed since December last year due to the accumulation of snow. However, residents of Rajouri and Poonch besides living on both sides of the road alleged that despite clearance of snow last month, traffic has not been allowed by the administration. Besides leaders of different political parties have also demanded allowing traffic movement on the road, which connects Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in the Jammu region.
Meanwhile, District Development Council (DDC) members staged a dharna in Poonch on Wednesday against the continued closure of the highway. They said it takes two days for students and patients to reach Srinagar via Jammu when the distance through Mughal road is just three to four hours. (AGENCY)
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