SRINAGAR: Traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was disrupted for several hours on Friday morning after an encounter ensued between militants, who were travelling in a truck, and security forces at Nagrota.
”As per traffic police, only one-way traffic was allowed on the highway today and vehicles are to ply from Jammu to Srinagar. No vehicle was allowed from opposite direction,” police said.
Traffic on the highway was stopped after encounter ensued at Nagrota when a group of militants, travelling in a truck, fired upon a police party at 0500 hrs this morning. A police constable was injured in the initial firing. The driver of the truck was arrested and a massive search operation was launched against the militants.
”We stopped traffic on the highway as a precautionary measure in view of the counter,” official sources said.
However, they said a large number of Kashmir-bound vehicles were allowed through alternative route to Udhampur.
Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) were allowed this morning upto 1100 hrs to cross the Nagrota and Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) in the afternoon. HMVs are carrying essentials, including vegetables besides oil and LPG tankers for Kashmir valley.
There is no change in the situation on 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh highway, the only road connecting Union Territory (UT) Ladakh with Kashmir, and 98-km-long Mughal road, linking Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region, and Anantnag-Kishtwar which remained closed for the past 52 days. These roads are likely to reopen in April-May.
(AGENCIES)
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