SRINAGAR:
More than 1,000 vehicles, including those carrying passengers were stranded at different places on the highway, connecting the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country after Srinagar-Jammu was closed again this afternoon following landslides.
One-way traffic was resumed yesterday afternoon after remaining closed since Friday last due to landslides and shooting stones at several places.
This morning vehicles, including those carrying passengers and trucks loaded with essentials, left Jammu for Kashmir. However, no vehicle was allowed from Kashmir to Jammu.
However, continuous rain since early this morning, led to more landslides at different places, including Magarkote, Ramban and Ramsu forcing authorities to suspend traffic again.
Official sources said more than 1000 Kashmir bound vehicles got stranded on the highway at different places. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintainance of the highway, have pressed into service men and shopisticated machine to remove the landslides and shooting stones on the highway, particularly in Ramban and Ramsu area.
The highway was closed initially for 24 hours on Friday afternoon to allow BRO to undertake repair work so that vehicles could pass safely in the avalanche prone areas.
However, heavy rains triggered fresh landslides at several places on the highway forcing authorities to suspend traffic on the highway. After working round the clock, the BRO put through the highway for one-way yesterday afternoon.
Since several thousand passengers, including women and children, were stranded at Jammu bus stand for the past about one week, it was decided to allow traffic from Jammu to Srinagar after the highway reopened.
Because of heavy rush of passengers at Jammu and shortage of essentials, particularly vegetables in the valley, it was decided to allow traffic from winter capital to Srinagar today also. The road was again closed this afternoon due to landslides. (AGENCIES)
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