SRINAGAR : Traffic on the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the only road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was resumed after remaining suspended for several hours due to landslides, triggered by overnight rain.
Since only one-way traffic is allowed on the highway, today vehicles were to ply from Srinagar to Jammu, a traffic police official said.
He said traffic was suspended on the highway this morning following fresh landslides, triggered by rain at several places on other side of the Jawahar tunnel.
However, he said the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway, has pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to put through the highway.
The BRO has cleared the landslides and a report was received that highway was now open for traffic.
However, he said, only one-way traffic will continue on the highway till further orders.
Meanwhile, hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying passengers and empty trucks and oil tankers besides loaded with fruit, have been stopped at Qazigund and other places on this side of the tunnel have been allowed to move towards Jammu, he said.
However, no vehicle will be allowed from opposite direction. Traffic on the highway was frequently disrupted due to snowfall and landslides during the past one month resulting sharp increase of prices of essentials commodities as valley is entirely dependent on imports, particularly fresh vegetables during winter, meat and chicken.
Meanwhile, dozens of far flung and remote areas, particularly in the frontier district of Kupwara and Bandipora, remained cut off, besides near LoC remained cut off with their respective district headquarters due to accumulation of heavy snow on roads in north Kashmir.
There was rain during the night in almost entire north Kashmir. (AGENCIES)_
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