SRINAGAR : The national highway, connecting the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, has been closed yet again since last night due to landslides and shooting stones, triggered by heavy rains.
A traffic police official said here this morning that heavy rains triggered landslides at Penthal, Digdol and Batrey Cheshma last evening, forcing authorities to suspend traffic on the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu highway.
Today traffic was to ply from Jammu to Srinagar since only one-way traffic is allowed on the highway since December last year for smooth movement of vehicles, he added. There were landslides and shooting stones due to heavy rains at Penthal and other places on the highway yesterday. However, Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway, has been pressed into service to clear landslides.
“We helped 6,000 vehicles, which had left Srinagar yesterday, to cross these troubled spot till last evening, he said, adding that but due to darkness, vehicles were stopped later. Once a green signal is received, we will allow the stranded vehicles before allowing fresh traffic.” he said. There is snowfall at Jawahar tunnel and heavy rains on other side of the tunnel, he said, adding that landslides and shooting stones continued at Penthal.
“The BRO is on the job and as soon as landslides are cleared and there is no threat of more shooting stones, we will allow traffic from Jammu to Srinagar,” he added. (AGENCIES)
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