Traffic restored on Jammu-Srinagar Highway

Light Motor Vehicles were today allowed to move from both sides on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway after the road was cleared of a massive landslide which had forced suspension of traffic for the past two days, traffic police said.

However, the movement of heavy vehicles was restricted to one-way from Srinagar to Jammu due to the overall condition of the road especially between Jawahar Tunnel and Ramban coupled with narrow width at some places, an official of traffic police said.

A massive landslide struck the 270-km highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country, at Ramsoo in Ramban district on Saturday, prompting closure of the road.

The clearance operation was hampered by intermittent rainfall but after 44 hours, authorities were able to partially clear the road last evening for hundreds of stranded vehicles.

The clearance operation was completed and accordingly it was decided to allow the light motor vehicles from both sides this morning while restricting the movement of heavy vehicles to one-way, the official said.

However, he advised commuters to avoid journey on the highway during night hours as chances of landslides or shooting stones at vulnerable and landslide prone areas cannot be ruled out.

Keeping in view the overall condition of the road, especially between Jawahar Tunnel and Ramban coupled with narrow width of the highway at some places, allowing two way movement of heavy vehicles is not feasible, he said.

He said load carriers were allowed to move on the highway from Srinagar to Jammu, while no movement of load carriers and convoys of Army and other security forces were allowed from the opposite side in order to ensure smooth flow of traffic on the highway.

Heavy vehicles would ply on the highway from the twin capitals alternatively till further orders, he said.

He advised commuters not to park their vehicles in landslide or vulnerable zones especially from Jawahar Tunnel- Ramban and Jawahar Tunnel-Lower Munda under any circumstances to avoid any eventuality.