SRINAGAR: Despite snow clearance operations launched by the authorities, the national highway, connecting Ladakh with Kashmir and historic Mughal road, remained closed while dozens of far-flung and remote villages, including those near the Line of Control (LoC) were cut off from their respective district headquarters.
However, the national highway, the only road liking Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was through for one-way and vehicles will ply from Srinagar to Jammu on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Inspector General of Traffic Police Jagjeet Kumar has expressed serious concern over the negligence of the Chenani-Nashri tunnel on Srinagar-Jammu highway by the concerned agencies which is resulting into acute dust pollution and sporadic power outages and shutdown and even fatal mishaps inside the tunnel.
There is no chance of resuming traffic on the highway, connecting Ladakh with Kashmir, an official of Police Control Room (PCR), Ganderbal said over phone. He said snow clearance operation was launched on other side of the Zojila pass which could not be completed beyong Zero point.
However, due to accumulation of snow which had frozen, making the road very slippery because of minus temperature. The road will reopen only next year, he said traffic police personnel posted at different places on this side of the pass have already been withdrawn after first snowfall early this month.
The authorities have already started helicopter service from Srinagar and Jammu to Leh and Kargil.
The historic 86-km-long Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch also remained closed. Road clearance operation was launched from Poonch and Shopian, an official of PCR, Shopian said.
He said traffic could not be restored as road at several places remained under snow which has also become very slippery. Snow clearance operation from Shopian side has been completed, he said, adding that from Poonch side snow had frozen at some places and resuming traffic will be very risky.
Despite starting snow clearance operation, dozens of far-flung and remote villages, including near the LoC remained cut off from their respective district and tehsil headquarters for the past several weeks after first heavy snowfall.
Though snow clearance operation was launched on the road from Bandipora to border town of Gurez, which is surrounded by Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), the area remained cut off. There is still snow on the road which has become very slippery, officials said.
Only one-way traffic will continue on the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway due to bottlenecks and landslides.
Today traffic will ply from Srinagar to Jammu and no vehicle will be allowed from opposite direction, a traffic police official said. Meanwhile, passengers travelling between Srinagar and Jammu alleged that due to one-way traffic on the highway, transporters are charging almost double the fare any checking from the authorities.
A cab is charging Rs 1,000 per passenger from Srinagar to Jammu. ”We were charged Rs 700 per passenger from Banihal to Jammu on Wednesday,” a passenger Umar alleged.
IGP Trafic Mr Kumar reviewed the status of the national highway with the Police, Traffic Police and civil administration in presence of District Development Commissioner Ramban, Tariq Hussain Ganai yesterday.
In the wake of recent landslides on the highway between Ramban and Banihal stretch leading to the sporadic disruptions in the vehicular traffic and to ensure smooth and hassle free movement of vehicles on the highway during the snowfall and rainfall season, the IGP deliberated on the conditions of the highway and the necessary measures needed to be taken with the local administration besides the engineers and the managers of the companies engaged in the four-laning (widening) of the road.
The most vulnerable points of the highway landslides and bottlenecks in the traffic movement were identified as Panthial, Mehad (between Jaiswal bridge to JKTDC Cafeteria Morh), Marog, Nashri, Peeda and Anokhi Fall.
The IGP directed the managers of the concerned companies to take all necessary measures in anticipation of coming bad weather. He asked them to keep available necessary men and machinery ready on these vulnerable spots on the basis of the weather forecast, install crash barriers, Iron Mesh cum boulder guards as a precautionary measures to meet the exigencies.
He was informed that due to the ongoing highway widening work, the road has been narrowed at Gangru and badly neglected at Ratanbaas and Nashri. He expressed serious concern over the negligence of the Chenani-Nashri tunnel by the concerned agencies which is resulting into acute dust pollution and sporadic power outages/ shutdown and even fatal mishaps inside the tunnel.
He however expressed satisfaction on timely restoration of traffic despite intermittent rains and heavy landslides on the stretch which caused huge debris on highway.
He appreciated the synergy between the Traffic Police and other concerned road maintenance agencies and said that the Traffic Police want the highway stretch clear of any landslide debris as early as possible to regulate the traffic for the convenience of the commuters.
He also sought cooperation from the general public and all users of the National Highway for maintaining the normal traffic and abiding the traffic warnings in view of the inclement weather during the winter which often cause disruptions in the traffic movements. (AGENCIES)
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