Traffic restored on NH

Stranded Kashmiri passengers protest at Jammu Bus Stand on Thursday.
Stranded Kashmiri passengers protest at Jammu Bus Stand on Thursday.

Gopal Sharma/Fayaz Bukhari
JAMMU/ SRINAGAR, Feb 15:  The stranded passengers hailing from various parts of Kashmir today held strong protest  demonstration at Jammu Bus Stand against the Government demanding their  airlifting to Srinagar while Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was opened for one way traffic after 4th day this evening.
A senior Traffic Police official  told the Excelsior that the fresh landslide which again blocked the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway about 7 kms ahead of Ramban near Marog, at another location last evening , was also cleared  this evening and the one- way traffic was restored on the highway at around 6.45 pm.
He said while massive land slides near Anokhi Fall/ Battery Chashma and Marog was cleared on Wednesday evening, but another massive  landslide at another location near Marog,  struck the highway, creating another blockade.  The men and  machinery of GREF and National Highway authorities  were pressed into service since early this morning and they cleared the highway this evening.
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He disclosed that first of all,  the  light and medium passenger vehicles besides buses stranded at Banihal were cleared for Jammu and after that stranded vehicles at Ramban and Chanderkote were also cleared for Kashmir. He  said there after,  trucks loaded with essential supplies to Kashmir  and stranded at Kud and Udhampur area were  cleared for Kashmir and movement of the vehicles to Kashmir was in progress  when the last reports from Ramban came late this evening.
He said the stranded vehicles at Lower Munda and Qazigund towards Udhampur-Jammu will be allowed tomorrow.  He claimed that by 8.30  pm more than 450 stranded vehicles had been  cleared  and the vehicular movement was still in progress but it may be stalled for the night for safety reasons.
Meanwhile, the stranded passengers at Jammu Bus Stand held protest demonstration near Upper Gumat Chowk against Government and demanded their airlifting to Srinagar. They also blocked road and disrupted movement of traffic for some time.  They claimed that they were running short of money  and should be sent to their homes.
Later, Minister for Revenue Abdul Rehman Veeri  along with Additional DC Jammu,  Arun Manhas  and some police officials visited Jammu Bus Stand and talked to the stranded passengers.
The Minister took stock of the measures being put in place by the District Administration to provide basic amenities to the stranded passengers due to closure of Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
Veeri was briefed about the arrangements being made by the administration for safe stay of the passengers. It was informed that lodging and other facilities including food are being made available for these people.
The Minister asked the District Administration to provide all necessary support to the people till the highway is opened for traffic. Veeri also interacted with the passengers and listened to their problems.
Responding to the issue of over-charging by some hotel owners, the Minister directed the ADC Jammu to look into the issue.
ADC Jammu informed the Minister that concerned SDPO and SHO have been directed to ensure that people do not pay high charges. He said that even the passengers are requested to inform police authorities in case anyone tries to overcharge them.
Later, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu Hemant Sharma  along with DC Jammu Rajeev Ranjan, MD SRTC and RTO Jammu, Deep Raj also visited Bus Stand and reviewed arrangements for the Kashmir bound stranded passengers. They directed the JDA to open four halls at Bus Stand for the stranded passengers. For providing shelter to the passengers. The Divisional Commissioner asked MD SRTC to deploy adequate buses at Bus stand so that the passengers could be facilitated at the time of opening of the highway.
An official from  Meteorological Department today said there is the possibility of rain or snow in some areas in the next 24 hours.  ”Light rain/snow would occur at isolated places over the higher reaches of the State in next 24-hours,” the official said.
The night temperatures across Kashmir improved today while day temperature remained   normal. Srinagar recorded a low of 1.9 degree Celsius and maximum of 9.9 degree Celsius. Gulmarg in north Kashmir settled at minus 6.6 degrees Celsius.
Kargil and Leh townships in Ladakh region recorded a minimum of minus 11.0 degree Celsius and minus 6.9 degrees Celsius and a maximum of minus 1.5 degree Celsius and 6.2 degree Celsius, respectively, whereas,  Pahalgam recorded a low of minus 0.9 degree Celsius and a maximum of 4.3 degrees Celsius.
Authorities issued a fresh avalanche warning in Kashmir Valley. “As per a communication of Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, there is a danger of avalanches from February 15 to February 16 in avalanche prone areas of Bandipora, Baramulla, Anantnag, Kulgam, Budgam, Kupwara, Ganderbal, Leh and Kargil districts of Kashmir Division”, an official statement said here.
The Deputy Commissioners of the concerned districts have been asked to advise people not to venture out in avalanche prone areas, he said.
Meanwhile, the power supply to  Paddar (Atholi/ Gulabgarh) Sub Division of Kishtwar was restored this evening after four days with the intervention of DC Kishtwar.  As some additional transformers  were rushed from Centre Store Jammu to Sunderbani, the power supply to about half of the villages of Sunderbani Sub Division of  Rajouri was also restored today. Chief Engineer M&RE Jammu, Ashwani Gupta said that out of 150 transformers  damaged due to rain, rain lightning/thunder  storm and snowfall in Jammu region, more than 50 % have been repaired/ replaced.  He said the power supply will become smooth in the entire region within next two days.

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