Kashmir highway reopens, traffic to ply from Srinagar to Jammu

Fresh snowfall was reported at several places on Srinagar-Leh National Highway, where snow clearance operation has already started from both sides of Zojila pass.
The historic 86-km-long Mughal road, linking Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch and Anantnag with Kishtwar, remained closed since December last year due to accumulation of snow.

Traffic was suspended on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway due to fresh landslides and shooting stones between Ramban and Ramsu, triggered by rain on Monday afternoon. Large number of vehicles, which had left different parts of Kashmir valley for Jammu, got stranded on the highway.

However, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) put into service sophisticated machines and men to clear the landslides and shooting stones, a traffic police official told UNI.

He said traffic was resumed on the highway on Tuesday and stranded vehicles, including trucks carrying apple, were allowed to move towards Jammu. Fresh vehicles will be allowed only after all stranded vehicles are cleared, he said, adding that no vehicle will be allowed from opposite direction.

Only one-way traffic is allowed on the highway for the past about a year due to conversion highway into four-Lane, which is resulting in frequent landslides and shooting stones.
However, frequent closure of the only all weather road to Kashmir has resulted in acute shortage of essentials, particularly fresh vegetables, meat and chicken in the valley, particularly this winter.

Similarly, Kashmiri traders also faced difficulties to send their fruit to different mandis across the country.

Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also expressed concern over the frequent closure of the highway.