Despite weather warning, rain Kashmir highway through for one-way

Srinagar/April, 4: Despite weather warning and rain the Kashmir highway was through for one-way traffic and vehicles will ply from Srinagar to Jammu Tuesday.
A weather warning has been issued by Meteorological department that an active Western Disturbance (WD) is likely to affect Jammu and Kashmir from Tuesday till April 6  there is possibility of landslides, snow avalanche in vulnerable areas like Srinagar-Jammu and Srinagar-Leh, particularly Zojila pass on the highway.
The Met has advised passengers to contact respective Traffic Control Rooms (TCRs) before starting their journey on Srinagar-Jammu highway.
Meanwhile, snow clearance operation was going on war footing on the national highway, connecting Ladakh region with Kashmir and historic Mughal road, linking Shopian in south valley with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region.
Dozens of far flung and remote villages, including those near the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir also remained cut off with their respective district headquarters due to snow.
We have allowed traffic from Srinagar to Jammu Tuesday on the highway, linking Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, a traffic police official said.
He said hundreds of trucks and oil tankers, besides vehicles carrying passengers, left different parts of the valley, particularly Qazigund gateway of Kashmir, for Jammu this morning.
However, no vehicle will be allowed from opposite direction as only one-way traffic will continue till further orders, he said.
Only one-way traffic is being allowed on the highway since January this year after landslides and shooting stones badly damaged the road at several places, where only one-vehicle can cross at a time.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintainance of the highway are working to repair the damaged portion of the road and resume both way traffic. Met spokesman said an active WD is likely to affect Jammu and Kashmir from till April 6 which could result in widespread rain or snow on higher reaches.
He said light rain at scattered to fairly widespread places with snowfall on higher reaches is likely to commence from tomorrow. The intensity and spatial distribution of precipitation has increased from Tuesday evening with widespread rainfall or snowfall (on higher reaches) on April 5 and 6 across the state.
He said there is possibility of landslides, snow avalanche in vulnerable areas like Srinagar-Jammu and Srinagar-Leh, particularly Zojila pass on the highway on April 5 and 6.
Meanwhile, the national highway, linking the Ladakh region with Kashmir remained closed for the past four months due to accumulation of snow, particularly on Zojila pass. However, BEACON authorities have already started massive snow clearance operation to put through the highway.
The snow clearance operation on the highway has been completed upto Gagangeer on this side of the Zojila pass.
Major snow clearance operation has also been launched from both sides of Peer-ki-Gali on historic Mughal road, conncting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region.
Officials said that snow clearance has been completed upto Zazinar area and remaining 11 km of road upto Peer Ki Gali would be cleared within a week.
Similarly snow clearance operations were going on in north Kashmir to connecting cut off far flung and remote areas, including those near the Line of Control (LoC) with their respective district headquarters.