Leh, Mughal roads closed due to snow-landslides, Kashmir highway through

Srinagar, Apr 20: The national highway, connecting Ladakh region with Kashmir was closed yet again on Friday due to fresh snowfall, while landslides forced closure of traffic on 86-km-long historic Mughal road.

However, despite rain the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the only all weather road, linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was through for only one-way traffic.

There was fresh snowfall on the 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway at Zojila, Meenmarg and other areas due to which road had become slippery forcing authorities to suspend traffic, a traffic police official told TNN.

He said if the weather improves and road become safe for journey, traffic will be allowed on the highway.

'We are allowing traffic from Drass in Ladakh to Sonamarg in Kashmir in the morning from 0500 hrs to 1100 hrs everyday when the highway remains open, he said adding later traffic is allowed from here to Drass.'

The historic Mughal road, linking Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu was also closed for traffic movement following landslides in Pir-ki-Gali area. The authorities have already pressed into service sophisticated machines to put through the road, which is also seen as alternative to Srinagar-Jammu national highway.

The Srinagar-Jammu national highway was through for only one-way traffic, he said.

On Friday traffic will ply from Srinagar to Jammu only and no vehicle will be allowed from opposite direction, he said adding the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) , responsible for the maintenance of the highway, was already on the job to make it two-way at Peera Ramban where landslides had occurred on Wednesday. Only one-way traffic would continue till further orders.