No fresh traffic on Kashmir highway, stranded vehicles being cleared, says traffic officials

Srinagar: No fresh traffic was allowed from Srinagar or Jammu on Tuesday on the national highway, the only road linking Kashmir valley with the rest of the country as large number of vehicles are stranded at different places.
However, the national highway, the only road connecting Ladakh region with Kashmir and historic 86-km-long Mughal road are through for one-way traffic only, a traffic police official told UNI.
He said no fresh traffic was allowed from Srinagar or Jammu today as large number of vehicles are stranded between Jawhar tunnel and Ramban stretch. We will clear all the stranded vehicles before taking any decision to allow fresh traffic on the highway, official said.
Tomorrow no civilian traffic will be allowed on the highway due to ban imposed by the authorities to allow free and safe movement of security force convoy. After the killing of 44 CRPF personnel in a fidayeen attack by Jaish-e-Mohammad in February authorities imposed ban on movement of civilian vehicles twice in a week on Sunday and Wednesday, badly hitting the normal life in the valley. Ban on civilian traffic movement on the highway has evoked strong resentment in Kashmir, where people are facing shortage of essentials, particularly fresh vegetables.Fruit traders alleged that they are suffering losses of crores of rupees due to ban as trucks carrying apples to different mandis of the counties are being stopped for several days on he highway due to which the product gets damaged. Only one-way traffic was plying on Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region, he said adding both Light and Heavy Motor Vehicles will ply on Tuesday from Buffliaz towards Shopian between 0600 hrs to 1500 hrs only. No vehicle will be allowed from opposite direction as there are huge walls of snow on both sides of the road.
Traffic official said traffic will today ply from Minimarg, Ladakh region to Sonmarg in the central Kashmir district of Ganderbal. The LMVs will have to ply between 0700 hrs to 1000 hrs and HMVs 1000 hrs to 1300 hrs only. No traffic will be allowed from opposite direction, he said.