Fresh landslides on highway in Kashmir
Srinagar, Jun 13 (UNI): Several thousand vehicles, including those carrying passengers, got stranded after the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was closed on Thursday following fresh landslides and shooting stones in Ramban area, a traffic police official said.
Traffic was resumed on the National Highway, linking Ladakh region with Kashmir and historic 86-km-long Mughal road after remaining suspended on Wednesday due to fresh snowfall, landslides and uprooting of trees.
Today, there were fresh landslides and shooting stones at Batery Cheshma and Digdol on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway forcing authorities to suspend traffic, traffic police official told UNI. However, he said the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), responsible for maintenance and widening of the highway, have pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to clear the landslides.
He said decision to allow stranded vehicles to move towards their respective destinations will be taken only after getting green signal from the traffic official posted at different places.
He said as per schedule Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) will ply from both Srinagar and Jammu. However, Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) will continue to ply one-way only, he said adding today HMVs will ply from Srinagar to Jammu. HMVs will have to leave Zig Qazigund from 1800 hrs to 0400 hrs on Friday.
Several thousand vehicles, including trucks loaded with essentials for Kashmir, are stranded on the highway. Similarly, passenger vehicles also remained stranded, official sources said, adding that the vehicles will be allowed to move towards their respective destinations once landslides are cleared.
Traffic police official said traffic was restored on Mughal road, which connects Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region. Traffic on the road, which is seen as alternative to Srinagar-Jammu highway, was suspended yesterday due to snowfall, landslides and uprooting of trees. LMVs will ply from both sides while Kashmir-bound HMVs from Behramgalla between 0900 hrs to 1600 hrs.
Traffic was also restored on Srinagar-Leh National Highway after remaining suspended following fresh snowfall yesterday. Traffic official said vehicles will be allowed to leave for Kashmir from Minimarg from 0500 hrs to 1000 hrs. Later, Ladakh-bound vehicles will ply from 1000 hrs to 1500 hrs from Sonamarg in central Kashmir district of Ganderbal.
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