leave for Jammu after remaining stranded for about 2 weeks
TNN Bureau. Updated: 2/17/2019 12:20:27 PM
Politics
Srinagar, Feb 17: Over 4,500 vehicles, stranded for about two weeks on this side of the Jawahar tunnel, was allowed to leave for Jammu on Sunday morning as only one-way traffic will continue to ply on the National Highway, connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country.
No vehicles, including security force convoy, would be allowed from the opposite direction, official sources said this morning.
However, the National Highway, the only road connecting Ladakh region with Kashmir and historic 86-km-long Mughal besides Anantnag-Kishtwar roads, remained shut since December last year due to an accumulation of snow.
After allowing Jammu to Srinagar traffic for three consecutive days to clear thousands of stranded vehicles, including trucks loaded with essentials and oil tankers besides carrying passengers, it was decided to allow traffic from here to Jammu on Sunday, sources told UNI.
They said over 4,500 vehicles, including trucks loaded with fruit, stranded at Qazigund and other places on this side of the Jawahar tunnel, were allowed to move towards Jammu this after about two weeks. Fresh traffic from Srinagar will be allowed only after clearing all stranded vehicles, they said.
There is an improvement in the weather but intermittent landslides and shooting have now become a routine on the highway, disrupting traffic movement. However, he said the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Beacon authorities are working round the clock to put through the road as soon as possible. However, Ramban and Ramsu stretch is disturbing where landslides and shooting are occurring intermittently.
Traffic on the highway, connecting Ladakh with Kashmir, remained closed since December last year due to the accumulation of heavy snowfall which has now frozen. However, traffic from the border town of Kargil to Leh was through. The highway is likely to reopen in March or April.
The Anantnag-Kishtwar and Shopian to Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region roads also remained closed since December last year.