Srinagar-Jammu highway closed for third day

For the third day Thursday, the strategic Srinagar-Jammu highway remained closed due to heavy snowfall, cutting road contact between Kashmir and the rest of the country, authorities said.

A senior traffic officer told IANS that due to heavy snowfall in the Bannihal and Patnitop sectors of the Srinagar-Jammu highway, there would be no vehicular movement on the road Thursday.

"Efforts are on to clear the road, but fresh snowfall and highly slippery road conditions in Bannihal and Patnitop sectors are impeding the road clearance operations.

"No vehicle will be allowed to move from either Jammu or Srinagar on the highway today (Thursday).

"Once the road clearance operations are over, we intend to clear the stranded vehicles before allowing routine traffic," a senior traffic police official said here.

The highway was closed because of heavy snowfall Monday and has remained closed since then.

Air traffic to the Kashmir Valley was restored Wednesday afternoon after the weather improved.

Train services from north Kashmir Baramulla to Bannihal town in the Jammu region were also restored Thursday.