Traffic again suspended on Bandipora-Gurez road due to snow avalanche

Srinagar, Apr 12 : Traffic was on Monday once again suspended on strategically important road connecting the border town of Gurez and dozens of other far-flung and remote villages in Bandipora district with rest of the valley due to a snow avalanche.

Gurez, which is surrounded from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) from three sides, and other adjoining villages, including those near the Line of Control (LoC), were on April 10 reconnected with district headquarters Bandipora in north Kashmir after remaining cutoff for over four months due to the accumulation of snow, avalanches and slippery conditions.
“Vehicular movement on Bandipora-Gurez road was suspended on Monday due to a snow avalanche and fresh snowfall on Sunday,” an official of Police Control Room (PCR), Bandipora, told TNN over the phone on Monday.

He said Border Road Organization (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the road, has pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to clear the avalanche. “Traffic to the border town and adjoining areas will be restored only after clearing the avalanche from the road and getting a green signal from the officials deployed on the ground,” he added.

The authorities provide helicopter services to ferry patients and other stranded people, including students, from Gurez during these winter months. As many as 150 aspirants appearing in Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) examination were airlifted to Bandipora from Gurez by District Administration Bandipora last month. Similarly, many patients were airlifted from Gurez to Bandipora for medical treatment.

However, the people of Gurez and adjoining border villages have been demanding a tunnel near the Razdan pass so that the border area remains connected with the rest of the valley throughout the year.