Srinagar: Traffic was restored on the 270-km-long national highway, the road connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, after remaining suspended for few hours on Monday due to shooting stones at various places.
Meanwhile, 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh highway, would be thrown open for traffic next week even as massive snow clearance operation by Beacon project was going on to clear several feet of snow accumulated on the road. The highway, which connects the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh with Kashmir, remained closed for the past three months due to accumulation of several feet of snow.
The 86-km-long historic Mughal road and Anantnag-Kishtwar road also remained closed for the past over three months due to accumulative of several feet of snow.
“Traffic was restored on Srinagar-Jammu national highway after remaining suspended for few hours on Monday,” a traffic police official told UNI.
Hundreds of Kashmir-bound vehicles were stranded at various places on the highway due to shooting stones at various places in Ramban area. “After the shooting stones stopped and the road was cleared, traffic was restored on the highway in the evening,” he added.
He said one-way traffic would ply on the highway to avoid traffic jam as the road was still very narrow at some places, particularly between Ramban and Ramsu, where only one vehicle could pass at a time.
“Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) had to cross Qazigund between 1000 hrs and 1300 hrs while Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) will have to cross this point between 1330 hrs and 2200 hrs,” he said, adding no vehicle would be allowed after cut off timings.
Meanwhile, the historic 86-km-long Mughal road, which connects Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch also remained closed due to accumulation of the eight to ten feet of snow. Though the authorities have started snow clearance operation, there was fresh snowfall during the past few days on the road, which is seen as alternative to Srinagar-Jammu highway. The centre has already agreed to construct a tunnel to make it all weather road.
