Highway through for one way

Despite snow and rain one-way traffic continues on the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the only road connecting the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country.

Official sources said hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying passengers and empty trucks, gas and oil tankers left Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir valley this morning for Jammu. However, no vehicle was allowed from Jammu today.

The one-way traffic continued on the highway for the past two weeks after heavy snowfall triggered landslides and shooting stones, killing 11 persons, including four members of a family.

Two way traffic will be allowed only after receiving green signal from the BRO, traffic and police officials posted at different places on the highway,said.

Despite one-way traffic, there was traffic jam for several

hours from Zig to Jawhar tunnel, a passenger told UNI over Phone.

He said there was fresh snowfall and rains on the highway but vehicles were moving towards Jammu.

However, sources said there is a danger of landslides and shooting stones because of snow and rains on the highway, particularly in the Jawahar tunnel, Shaitan Nallah, Ramsu and Penthal area.

The highway remained closed for most period of January and this month due to snowfall, avalanches and slippery road condition, resulting in shortage of essentials, particularly cooking gas in the valley.

Meanwhile, the Ladakh region remained cut off from the rest of the state since December 1 last year when Zojila pass was closed for six winter months due to snowfall. The centre and state governments have approved to construct a tunnel at Zojila to make it all weather road.

Dozens of far flung and remote villages, including those near the Line of Control (LoC) also remained cut off from their respective district headquarters due to closure of the Sadhna and Razdan passes in north Kashmir.

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