Srinagar: Traffic on Srinagar-Jammu national highway was restored after remaining disrupted for several hours on Monday due to fresh landslides, triggered by heavy rain.
One-way Light Motor Vehicle (LMV) traffic was on Monday allowed from Srinagar to Jammu. However, fresh landslides triggered by heavy overnight rain at Samroli forced closure of the highway again, official sources said.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), responsible for the maintenance and widening of the road, immediately put into service sophisticated machines and men to clear the landslides. Large number of vehicles got stranded on both sides of the Samroli.
A passenger told UNI over phone that a machine cleared the road by putting landslides, including a huge boulder, in the nearby river. Landslides also occurred at several other places which were immediately cleared by the authorities. Almost the entire highway is receiving rain since last evening threatening more landslides and shooting stones, sources said, adding one-way traffic was allowed after several hours.
“Today LMVs were to ply from Srinagar to Jammu,” a traffic police official told UNI.
He said only Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMV), stranded between Zig Qazigund and Jawahar tunnel will be allowed to move towards Jammu. Security forces are also advised to ply from Srinagar to Jammu, he added.
The highway was closed for traffic movement due to landslides at Magarkote on Thursday. However, the NHAI put into service sophisticated machines and men and finally restored traffic partially last evening.
Majority of the vehicles, including those carrying passengers, were cleared towards their respective destinations till late in the night.
Meanwhile, Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) will ply from both sides on historic 86-km-long Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region. Only Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) upto ten tyres will ply from Srinagar towards Poonch on the road, seen as alternative to Srinagar-Jammu highway.
Only LMV will be allowed from both sides on Kishtwar-Sinthan-Anantnag road, he said.
The 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway was through for one-way traffic. Today traffic will ply from Kargil to Srinagar, he said adding no vehicle will be allowed from opposite direction.
