SRINAGAR : Despite rain, the national highway, connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was through for one-way traffic and vehicles will ply from Srinagar to Jammu today.
Meanwhile, the historic Mughal road, the national highway linking Ladakh region with Kashmir besides roads connecting dozens of far-flung and remote areas, including those near the Line of Control (LoC), remained closed though authorities have already started snow clearance operations.
A traffic police official said that despite intermittent rain since last night, the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway was through for traffic.
Today vehicles will ply from Srinagar to Jammu only, he said. No vehicle, including Army and other security forces, will be allowed from opposite direction to avoid any traffic jam or accident as road is still very narrow at some places due to landslides.
He said hundreds of vehicles, including empty trucks and oil tankers besides those carrying passengers, left Srinagar for Jammu.
However, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway, is working round the clock to put through the highway for both ways, the only road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country.
Traffic official said that normal two-way traffic on the highway will be resumed only after the road is declared safe for both way normal traffic movement, he said.
However, those associated with tourism industry are worried that frequent disruption would badly hit the tourist arrival in summer. Traffic on the highway remained disrupted frequently since first major snowfall on January 6, resulting in shortage and price rise of essentials, particularly vegetables in the Valley.
Meanwhile, the BEACON authorities have started snow clearance operation to put through the highway, connecting Ladakh region with Kashmir.
The authorities and Mughal road development authority have also started snow clearance operation on the historic Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region, which remained closed for the past three months due to snow.
Officials said it will take about two weeks to put through the road, provided there is no fresh snowfall.
Dozens of village, including near the LoC in Machil sector, remained cut off from district headquarters due to accumulation of several feet of snow.
The border town of Gurez, surrounded by Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), also remained cut off from district headquarters Bandipora due to snow. The road is likely to reopen in summer.
A number of other far-flung and remote areas also remained cut off from their respective district headquarters. (AGENCIES)
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