No blanket ban on civilian movement on highway

The Jammu and Kashmir government's decision to bar civilian traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar highway for two days in a week will not apply to bonafide and emergency movement of civilians, a top official said on Friday.

After public outrage on the government decision to disallow civilian and public transport on the highway on Sundays and Wednesdays to secure movement of convoys of security forces, Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Basheer Ahmad Khan said there was no blanket ban.

"The ban would not apply to children going to schools or to those who have business establishments around the national highway or to those who have agricultural and horticultural land around the national highway or in medical emergencies," he said.

"We have issued elaborate instructions to all district development commissioners who shall ensure that the general public is not put to any inconvenience during days reserved for passage of security forces on the highway," Khan said.

The ban followed the February suicide bombing on the highway thatkilled 40 CRPF troopers.

--IANS

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