SRINAGAR: The 270-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, connecting Kashmir with rest of the country, remained closed for the seventh successive day on Thursday even as hundreds of valley-bound trucks, carrying essential commodities, were stranded due to landslides.
“The Srinagar-Jammu national highway remained closed for traffic due to multiple landslides and shooting stones,” a traffic police official said.
He said it will take another day to restore traffic on the highway due to a massive landslide at Dalwas, where a portion of the hill has come down.
Hundreds of vehicles remained stranded at various places on the highway. Traffic was suspended on the highway on Friday afternoon following multiple landslides at Cafeteria morh, Monkey morh, Ramban, Battery chashma, Panyal morh, Panthyal, Mompassi, Digdol, Sherbibi and Hingni, triggered by rain.
He said the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) pressed into service sophisticated machines and men and the road clearance operation was going on war footing. But, he said the operation was hampered due to overnight heavy rain.
He said once a green signal is received from traffic and NHAI officials, traffic will be resumed. Only essential commodities vehicles are allowed to ply on Srinagar-Jammu highway following ban on passenger vehicles to curtail spread of Coronavirus. However, the authorities have allowed State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) vehicles to ferry stranded travelers between Jammu and Srinagar.
Anyone who tries to move on the highway, specially towards Jawahir Tunnel, in private vehicle without genuine pass, his vehicle would be seized and passengers will be quarantined for 14 days at the nearest centre.
Only one-way traffic will continue to ply on the highway till further orders on the highway as the road is very narrow and damaged at several places between Ramban and Ramsu where only one vehicle could pass easily. Frequent closure of the highway for the past one week has badly hit the movement of vehicles, particularly carrying essentials and passengers.
