Traffic jams: 2-day ban on civilian traffic irks people on Kashmir highway

Commuters alleged that security forces were not restricting their convoy movements on the highway, but the highway from Baramulla to Jammu, has been made off the limits, for civilian traffic.

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court (HC) has sought response by Tuesday from the state government, on a plea filed by IAS-officer-turned politician Shah Faesal, seeking striking down of the ban on the movement of civilian traffic on the Kashmir-Jammu national highway, for two days a week.

A traffic police official told UNI that traffic on Tuesday will ply from Srinagar to Jammu on the national highway, before it is closed on Wednesday, for the security force convoy movement.

However, commuters travelling on the national highway from Srinagar to Jammu told UNI that they have been moving at a snail's pace and were struck at various places on highway, due to traffic jams.
''We left early in the morning from Baramulla, but we have been stuck at many places on the highway due to movement of security force convoys,'' Nazir Ahmad told UNI over the phone.

According to Mr Ahmad, due to bad and narrow condition of the highway at many places in Banihal, vehicles are allowed alternatively, from both sides of the highway.
''The traffic police is claiming that it is only the local traffic, which is allowed from the opposite direction, but I saw many vehicles, which had number plates registered in different districts of the valley. How can they be locals?,'' he alleged.

Meanwhile, people who had to travel to Kashmir from Jammu, left early in the morning from the winter capital of the state to Banihal, where they will avail the train service to reach to their respective destinations, as the highway will be closed for civilian traffic on Wednesday.

The government, in an order, had said that civilian traffic will not be allowed on Kashmir-Jammu national highway for Wednesdays and Sundays in a week for security reasons between 0400 hrs to 1700 hrs, attracting severe criticism from political parties and general public. Only security force convoys will be allowed on these two days.

However, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah posted a video on micro-blogging site Twitter on Monday, of an Army convoy moving on the highway.

The Vice-President of the National Conference (NC) said that when if it is safe for security force convoys to move on Monday without closing the highway to civilian traffic, why is it not safe on Wednesdays and Sundays.

''Nothing proves the mindlessness of the order, more than Army movement on unsafe days,'' Abdullah said.

Mr Abdullah said he is simply trying to highlight the point that the architects of the highway closure have made no application of mind.

''Somehow, this convoy on the highway is safe today, but it wouldn't have been yesterday and won't be on Wednesday,'' he added.

A division bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Tashi Rabstan issued a notice to the state government on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Mr Faesal, through his counsel advocate Tassaduq Khwaja.