SRINAGAR : Traffic resumed on the historic Mughal road after remaining suspended for about two days while one-way traffic continued on the national highway, connecting the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country.
The authorities have decided to suspend traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu highway on May 21 to allow maintenance of the road, damaged at several places due to land erosion and landslides during winter.
A traffic police spokesperson said here today that landslides which had occurred on Mughal road, which connects Shopian in south Kashmir to Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu region, yesterday has been cleared. All the vehicles which were stranded on the road have been cleared, he said. Passengers, who had left Shopian early yesterday, said they reached Jammu at 0200 hrs.
The spokesperson said traffic will ply from Rajouri and Poonch to Shopian today. However, a number of vehicles were also allowed from here to other side of the Pirpanch. He said traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway was through for one-way and vehicles will ply from Srinagar to Jammu today. No vehicle will be allowed from opposite direction. Traffic will ply from Jammu to Srinagar tomorrow subject to weather and road conditions, he said.
The authorities have decided to suspend traffic on the highway on May 21 to allow maintenance of the road by Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
The road was damaged at several places due to soil erosion and landslides during winter, particularly in February and March months.
Later, it was decided to allow only one-way traffic to avoid accidents and traffic jam as some portion of the road was very narrow on the highway, which frequently remained closed in winter resulting in shortage of essentials, particularly vegetables in the valley.
Keeping in view the tourist season and Amarnath yatra, commencing from July 2, it was decided to repair the road to make it two-way.
Traffic on the Srinagar-Leh national highway, linking the Ladakh region with Kashmir, was going on smoothly from both sides. However, vehicles travelling from Srinagar will have to cross the Zojila in the morning while those coming from Leh and Kargil were being allowed in the afternoon for valley. (AGENCIES)
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