SRINAGAR : The national highway, connecting the Kashmir valley with Ladakh has again been closed due to landslides, triggered overnight, a traffic police official said.
There were fresh landslides due to overnight rain at fish point and Drass on the 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway, connecting the Ladakh region with Kashmir, official told UNI. He said Sonamarg-Baltal, base camp of holy Amarnath cave shrine has also been closed due to landslides last night.
This was the second time during the past fortnight that the highway and yatra route were closed due to landslides.
He said the Border Roads Organisation(BRO) responsible for the maintainance of the highway has pressed into service men and sophisticated machines to clear the landslides and put through the highway.
He said only stranded vehicles will be allowed when the highway will be put through again before allowing any fresh vehicle from either side. Meanwhile, official sources said that hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying passengers, are stranded on both sides of the highway.
Hundreds of trucks, carrying essentials for different parts of the Ladakh region, which remained cut off during winter months, are also stranded at Sonmarg and other places due to closure of the highway.
The 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway and historic Mughal road, linking Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region remained open.
However, only light vehicles besides heavy vehicles carrying Amarnath pilgrims are allowed to ply from both sides on Kashmir highway. Other heavy vehicles will continue to ply on alternative days on the highway till further orders. (AGENCIES)
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