Traffic resumes on Srinagar-Jammu highway after Friday maintenance

SRINAGAR : Traffic was on Saturday resumed on 270-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway after remaining suspended on Friday for maintenance of the only road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country a senior Traffic police official said.
The 86-km-long historic Mughal road and Srinagar-Leh national highway are also through for traffic, he said.
He said that in connection with the maintenance of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, no vehicular movement will be allowed on every Friday from October 16 till November 30, 2020. However, people are directed to follow routine traffic advisory on other days, he said.
Even security forces are advised not to ply against traffic advisory plan, he said.
The highway witnessed frequent closure due to landslides and shooting stones, leading to sharp rise in the prices of essentials, particularly vegetables in the Kashmir valley. Besides transportation of apple and other fruits to outside the valley mandis.
He said Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) were allowed to ply from Jammu to Srinagar today. All the vehicles had to cross Nagrota Jammu between 0800 hrs to 1200 hrs and Jakheni Udhampur between 0900 hrs to 1300 hrs, he said adding no vehicle will be allowed after the deadline.
He said Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMV) will be allowed to ply from Zig Qazigund to Jammu on the highway. No HMV will be allowed from opposite direction.
Official sources said during the maintenance on Friday, some portion of the road was blacktopped while in some areas road widening work was done.
However, people of the affected areas, particularly between Banihal to Ramban alleged that since the work to convert the highway into four-way, traffic movement witnessed frequent disturbance due to landslides and shooting stones.
He said the Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region was through for traffic. However, vehicles had to ply from 1100 hrs to 1600 hrs only on the road which is seen as alternative to Srinagar-Jammu highway.

The national highway, connecting Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh with Kashmir was also through for traffic, he said. (AGENCIES)