One-way traffic continues on Kashmir highway; Mughal road, Leh NH remain shut

Srinagar: Hundreds of vehicles left Srinagar for Jammu as only one-way traffic continued on the national highway, connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, due to bad road conditions.
However, the 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh National Highway and historic Mughal road remained closed for the second successive day on Sunday due to slippery road conditions following fresh snowfall on Saturday.
“Today, traffic will ply from Srinagar to Jammu and no vehicle, including security force convoy, would be allowed from the opposite direction,” a traffic police official told UNI on Sunday morning.
He said Jammu-bound Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) will have to cross Zig in Qazigund between 0700 hrs to 1200 hrs. “No vehicle will be allowed after cut off timing,” he added.
He said Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) will be allowed from Udhampur to Srinagar.
He said despite wet weather, the traffic on the highway was resumed on Saturday after remaining closed for a day on Friday due to maintenance of the road. The UT government has ordered closure of the Srinagar-Jammu highway on every Friday till November 30 to allow agencies, responsible for the maintenance and widening of the highway, to undertake necessary work for smooth plying of vehicles during winter.
In view of the forecast for snowfall during the next 24 hours in Jammu and Kashmir which could affect surface and air traffic, the authorities have put in place all necessary arrangements, including Disaster Management Centres (DMC) at different places on the Srinagar-Jammu national to accommodate passengers and truckers in case the road is closed due to landslides, shooting stones and snow in winter.
“The Srinagar-Leh national highway remained closed for the second successive day on Sunday following snowfall at Sonamarg, Zojila pass, Meenmarg and Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia,” he said.
He said, no vehicle was allowed from Sonmarg, in the central Kashmir district of Ganderbal, on the highway due to slippery road conditions due to snowfall. “Traffic will be resumed only if there is improvement in the weather and snowfall stops,” he added.
Meanwhile, a high level committee has been constituted to make necessary arrangements to keep the highway open till December 31 this year.
The traffic spokesman said traffic on Mughal road, which is seen as alternative to Srinagar-Jammu national highway, remained suspended for the second day on Sunday following snowfall on Saturday. “The road has become slippery due to snowfall,” he said, adding there is a forecast for more snowfall.
Traffic will be resumed only after there is improvement in the weather and road become safe for journey.