SRINAGAR : The Kashmir valley remained cut off from the rest of the country after 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway remained closed for the third day today due to heavy snowfall and landslides.
Thousands of passengers besides truckers remained stranded on the highway, the only road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country.
However, traffic police and local authorities have already shifted passenger vehicles to safer places from avalanche prone areas on the highway.
There was fresh snowfall early this morning at Qazigund, Jawhar tunnel, Banihal and Shaitan nallah besides rain, triggering fresh landslides between Ramband and Ramsu on the highway, officials sources said.
Traffic was suspended on the highway on January 6 following heavy snowfall and slippery road conditions. There was about two feet to five feet of snowfall between Qazigund, both sides of Jawahar tunnel, Banihal and Patnitop on the highway.
It was snowing at some places since early this morning when reports last came in. However, in Ramban and Ramsu area there was rain triggering landslides and shooting stones, sources said.
A traffic police official said the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway have already pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to put through the highway.
However, continued rain, triggering fresh landslides has hampered the operation to open the highway. He said about 350 Jammu bound vehicles, including those carrying passengers, have been stopped in Qazigund area, gateway of Kashmir.
However, exact number of vehicles stranded on the other side of the Jawahar tunnel was not known, he said. The official said traffic on the highway will be resumed only after receiving green signal form traffic police personnel and BRO officials posted at different places on the highway.
A senior traffic police official said that efforts are being made to clear snow and landslides on the highway.
There were more than 1,300 vehicles, including those carrying passengers besides trucks carrying essentials and fruit stranded on the highway, he said, adding that,”Our first priority was to take the passenger vehicles and passengers to safer places from landslide prone areas.”
However, he made it clear that fresh traffic from Jammu and Srinagar will be allowed only after all the stranded vehicles are cleared on the highway. Seeking cooperation from the passengers and truckers, the officer said all measures are being taken for the safety and security of the people undertaking journey on the highway.
He said people should contact Police Control Room (PCR) and traffic police before undertaking journey on the highway. Meanwhile, the historic Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region remained closed due to over four feet of snowfall.
The road, which is being considered alternative to Srinagar-Jammu national highway, will now reopen only in April or May.
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