Thousands of vehicles stranded as Srinagar-Jammu highway remains closed

SRINAGAR: Over 10,000 vehicles, including those carrying passengers, remained stranded on Sunday as the Srinagar-Jammu highway, which connects Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was closed since Friday due to landslides.

However, a few hundred Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs), stranded on the highway, were allowed to leave towards their respective destinations on Saturday afternoon.

A traffic department official said that no traffic was allowed today to undertake repair work at Magarkote, where the road has suffered major damage due to landslides and continued shooting stones.

Traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway was closed on Friday evening owing to landslides at Magarkote. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), responsible for the maintenance of the highway, put into service sophisticated machines and men and cleared the area.

Later, traffic was restored partially and a few hundred LMVs were allowed to move.

However, traffic was again suspended due to continued shooting stones and landslides, triggered by heavy rain at Magarkote.

It was decided that no traffic will be allowed on the highway on Sunday to allow NHAI to complete the repair work at Magarkote,” he said.

Official sources said that over 8000 vehicles, including those carrying passengers and trucks are stranded between Zig Qazigund to Jawahar tunnel. Similarly, about 2000 vehicles are stranded at Jekhani Udhampur.

Meanwhile, Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) will ply from both sides on Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region.

Only Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) up to ten tyres will ply from Srinagar towards Poonch on the road, which is seen as alternative to Srinagar-Jammu highway,” they said.

They said only LMV will be allowed from both sides on Kishtwar-Sinthan-Anantnag road.

The 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway was through for one-way traffic. Today traffic will ply from Srinagar to Leh, they said, adding no vehicle will be allowed from the opposite direction.