SRINAGAR : The Kashmir valley remained cut off from rest of the country for the second consecutive day today due to closure of the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu National Highway following snowfall and landslides, triggered by heavy rains.
Meanwhile, hundreds of vehicles, mostly trucks and oil tankers are stranded on the highway. Intermittent snowfall continued on both sides of the Jawhar tunnel, Banihal, Qazigund and Shaitan Nallah besides at Patnitop, a traffic police official told. He said moderate to heavy rain in Ramban area triggered fresh landslides, affecting the road clearance operation started by Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway, the only road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country. There was fresh snowfall though the BRO has been removing the white powder regularly, he said. Rain triggered landslides at more than seven places, he said, adding that there was threat of more shooting stones because of intermittent rain, making the task to put through highway ardous.
No vehicle was allowed from Srinagar or Jammu during the past two days.
Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag, said snow on the road upto Jawhar tunnel has been cleared and there is no passenger vehicle stranded on this portion of the highway. However, there are empty trucks, oil tankers and those carrying fruits stranded on this side of the tunnel, official sources said.
Similarly a large number of passengers are stranded at Jammu bus stand for the past three days. Kashmir-bound truck drivers stranded at Udhampur, Nagrota, Batote and other places alleged that they were not being allowed to move towards valley for the past four days. There is no information when the road will be put through, there is a shortage of essentials and shopkeepers are charging more than double in the absence of any check by the authorities, he said.
(AGENCIES)
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