SRINAGAR : The national highway, connecting the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, has been closed due heavy snowfall and landslides.
Meanwhile, hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying essentials for the Kashmir valley are stranded at different places on the highway on the other side of the Jawahar tunnel. “We have not allowed any vehicle on the highway today following about two feet of fresh snowfall on either side of the tunnel,” a traffic police official told UNI. Meanwhile, dozens of far flung and remote villages in the north Kashmir remained cut off with their respective district and tehsil headquarters due to snow.
The Mughal road, linking the south Kashmir with Jammu region also remained closed while traffic on the national highway, connecting the Ladakh region with Kashmir also remained suspended since December last year due to snow. Traffic police official said about two feet of snow had accumulated at Qazigund, both sides of the tunnel, Banihal and Shaitan Nallah.
There were landslides and shooting stones, triggered by heavy rains, between Ramban, Ramban and Penthal. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintainance of the highway has already put into service sophisticated machines and men to clear the snow and landslides on the highway. However, operation was affected due to continued snow and rain.
Only one-way traffic is allowed on the highway for the past about two months to avoid any traffic jam and accidents. Today, vehicles were to ply from Jammu to Srinagar. A large number of passengers, who were scheduled to travel from Jammu to Srinagar are stranded at Jammu and other places. Similarly, trucks carrying essentials for the Kashmir valley are stranded at Udhampur, Nagrota and other places. (AGENCIES)
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