Leh and Mughal road remain closed, traffic resumes on Kashmir highway

Srinagar, Dec 18: Traffic on the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu National Highway resumed on Tuesday after remaining suspended for a day following fresh landslides in Ramban while historic Mughal road and National Highway, connecting Ladakh with Kashmir remained closed for the past nine days.

''We have resumed traffic on Tuesday on the National Highway, the only all weather road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country,'' a traffic police official told TNN.

He said there were fresh landslides at Gangroo, Ramban, yesterday. However, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway, immediately put into service sophisticated machines and put through the road for one-way this morning.

Since only one way traffic is allowed, today vehicles will ply from Srinagar to Jammu and no vehicle will be allowed from opposite direction, he said. ''We have allowed Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) this morning,'' he said, adding that if weather and road condition permits, Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) will be allowed from 1400 hrs till 0000 hrs.

Traffic on historic 86-km-long Mughal road remained suspended for the ninth day today as there was still several feet of snow accumulated at several places.

''The snow has frozen due to which the road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch, has become very slippery''. However, there is very remote chance of resumption of traffic on the road which remains closed for six winter months due to heavy snowfall and threat of avalanches. He said traffic also remained suspended on 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh highway following snowfall due to which the road has become slippery.

A large number of Kashmir vehicles, including empty trucks and oil tankers besides carrying passengers, are stranded at Drass, Kargil and other places on other side of the Zojila pass. Similarly, some vehicles are also stopped on this side of the pass in the central Kashmir district of Ganderbal.

There is very less chance of resumption of traffic on the highway following accumulation of snow due to below freezing temperature, making snow clearance operation difficult, official sources said, adding that there is also threat of avalanches.