SRINAGAR : The national highway, linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was closed yet again today due to landslides and shooting stones, triggered by rain stones and fresh snow.
Traffic on the highway was suspended again since late last night due to landslides and shooting stones besides fresh snowfall, a traffic police official said.
He said there were landslides and shooting stones between Ramban and Ramsu area at 0020 last night on the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway forcing authorities to close the road.
There was also fresh snowfall at Jawahar tunnel and Banihal, he said, adding that intermittent rain and snow also continued even since this morning.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway have already put sophisticated machines and men into work to clear the landslides.
Intermittent rain is hampering the road clearance operation , he said, adding that no vehicle was allowed from Srinagar or Jammu this morning.
Since only one-way traffic is allowed on the highway for the past about three months, vehicles will ply from Srinagar to Jammu today.
He said traffic on the road will be resumed only after getting green signal from the BRO and traffic police officials posted on the highway at different places.
Traffic on the highway remained disrupted frequently since first major snowfall on January 6 after about six-month long dry spell. However, despite putting all-out efforts by BRO, only one-way traffic could be restored on the highway.
Hundreds of vehicles, particularly empty trucks and oil tankers, have been stopped at Qazigund and other places on this side of the Jawahar tunnel due to closure of the highway.
The historic Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region, also received fresh snowfall since last night.
The road, which is seen as alternative to Srinagar-Jammu national highway, remained closed since January only to reopen in April-May. (AGENCIES)
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