Raja Syed
Srinagar, Aug 31: The authorities on Monday said that Srinagar-Leh highway was closed for civilian movement due to landslides for a few hours after which traffic was resorted.
A senior police official told KNO that the road was closed for the civilian traffic due to landslides.
Witnesses said that a huge Army convoy movement was witnessed on the Srinagar-Leh highway after fresh skirmishes at eastern Ladakh between Indian and Chinese troops.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Ganderbal, Muhammad Khalil Poswal, said that the highway was closed only for the clearance work as landslides have occurred due to the downpour. “Once the weather improves civilian vehicles will be allowed to move,” he said, adding that there was no need to panic and the situation was well under control.
Furthermore, passengers who were on the way to Leh from Srinagar said that only civilian vehicles were stopped at Gagangeer-Manigam check-post in Sonamarg and other points while Army vehicles were smoothly plying on the highway.
Earlier in the morning, the Indian Army in its statement issued stated that Chinese troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo.
“Indian troops pre-empted the PLA activity on the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
