SRINAGAR: Hundreds of vehicles remained stranded for the third successive day on Saturday following closure of the 270-km-long Srinagar-Jammu National Highway due to landslides and shooting stones.
Fresh rains again triggered landslides and shooting stones on the highway, particularly between Ramban and Ramsu, official sources said.
The highway was closed on Thursday morning following landslides at several places, they said.
However, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), responsible for the widening and maintenance of the highway, pressed sophisticated machines and men to clear the landslides. But, they said, continued shooting stones at Mahar and Digdol due to rain has hampered the clearance operation. There was also fresh snowfall early this morning in the area.
Hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying passengers, are stranded on the highway, the sources said, adding once a green signal is received, only stranded vehicles will be allowed on the highway, the only all weather road connecting Kashmir valley with the rest the country.
They said the decision to allow fresh traffic will be allowed once all stranded vehicles are cleared. ”Only one-way traffic will continue to ply on the highway till further orders as the road is badly damaged and narrow at some places and there is also threat of landslides and shooting stones,” they said.
The sources said since the NHAI has started road widening, frequent closure of the highway has badly hit traffic movement leading to shortage of essentials in the valley. Transportation of fruit from valley to other parts of the country was also affected, particularly during winter.
Meanwhile, the historic 86-km-long Mughal road, which connects Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch also remained closed due to accumulation of the eight to ten feet of snow. Though the authorities have started snow clearance operation, there was fresh snowfall during the past few days on the road, which is seen as alternative to Srinagar-Jammu highway. The centre has already agreed to construct a tunnel to make it all weather road.
The Anantnag-Kishtwar road also remained closed for the past four months due to snow.
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