SRINAGAR : Hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying passengers and trucks laden with essentials, left Jammu on Saturday morning for Kashmir valley as the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway was through for only one-way traffic.
Traffic remained suspended on the Srinagar-Leh national highway and historic Mughal road for the sixth day on Saturday due to accumulation of snow and slippery road conditions.
A traffic police official said that all types of vehicles, including those carrying passengers and trucks laden with essentials, left Jammu for Kashmir valley. However, he said no vehicles are being allowed from the opposite direction.
The official said that only one-way traffic will continue on the highway, the only road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, till further orders to avoid traffic jam.
Meanwhile, he said that 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway, linking the Ladakh region with Kashmir, remained closed since Monday afternoon following snowfall and slippery road conditions.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway, has already put into service sophisticated machine and men to clear the snow from the highway, particularly at Zojila, Meenmarg and Zero point.
The road is still very slippery due to below freezing temperature, particularly during the night. Large number of Ladakh-bound vehicles, including trucks, remained stranded at Sonamarg in central Kashmir district of Ganderbal.
Similarly, hundreds of vehicles, including empty trucks and oil tankers are stranded at Drass, Kargil and Meenmarg. The stranded passengers and truckers alleged that they are not being allowed to move towards their respective destinations.
The official said that decision to allow traffic on the national highway will be taken after reviewing the road condition in the afternoon. He said Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch, also remained closed due to snowfall and slippery road conditions.
The road has been closed for traffic movement due to fresh snowfall and slippery road conditions. Though district administrations from all sides have started snow clearance operation, the road is slippery. Therefore, traffic remained suspended as a precautionary measure. ”We will allow traffic only after getting green signal from the authorities,” he added. (AGENCIES)
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