Only one way traffic on Kashmir highway, inquiry ordered into traffic mismanagement

Srinagar, Jan 23: Only one-way traffic has been allowed on the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the only road linking Kashmir valley with the rest of the country. Meanwhile, authorities have ordered an inquiry into alleged traffic mismanagement during January 20 and 21 on the highway, when hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying passengers, got stranded at different places.

“To avoid any traffic jam and accident on the highway which is slippery at several places, it has been decided to allow only one-way traffic till further orders,” a traffic police official told UNI today. He said today, traffic will ply from Jammu to Srinagar only and no vehicle will be allowed from opposite direction. However, he said, as the road becomes very slippery in the evening between Ramban-Shaitan nallah and Jawhar tunnel, all the vehicles had to cross Nagrota before 0700 hrs. This step has been taken so that all vehicles leaving Jammu reach Kashmir before evening when the road gets slippery due to below freezing temperature, he added.

Meanwhile, hundreds of trucks and oil tankers are stranded at several places on the highway for the past several days, official sources said. They said the road is very slippery at several places and vehicles had to pass these areas in a very slow speed to avoid any accident. They said efforts are being made to clear as many as stranded trucks from both sides as and when there is improvement in the weather condition.

Meanwhile, Director General of Police S P Vaid has ordered attachment of SSP and two Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dy SP) highway to the office of Deputy Inspector General of Police, South-Kashmir Range. The officers were attached following allegations of traffic mismanagement on the highway during January 20 and 21 when hundreds of passengers had to spend night on the highway. The DG has ordered an inquiry into these allegations, they said.