Traffic jams on Jammu and Kashmir roads creating problems

Jammu, Feb 26 (UNI) Unprecedented traffic jams have become a common problem for people in this region of Jammu and Kashmir.

Passengers and transport operators, on all the major routes connecting the winter capital to the bordering Poonch, Rajouri and the valley, are facing hardships due to the bad condition of the roads.

The 4-6 kms stretch of Kalidhar road, about 55 kms away from Jammu, has been creating trouble due to the ongoing renovation work on the road.

''It has become a dangerous driving route due to rains. I took more than five hours to cross it,'' Subash Chander, a driver of private transport vehicle told UNI.

''On Saturday, vehicles got stranded on either sides of the road for more than eight hours. There was a long queue of traffic yesterday too,'' he said, adding that he had reached Jammu via Katra.

Many a times vehicles turn turtle on that slippery road, resulting into a big traffic jams, he informed.

Dilapidated roads have also become a serious problem for military personnel deployed in the far-flung areas.

''We could not catch (Jaipur bound) Pooja Express as we got struck in Kalidhar,'' an army man, Balbir Singh said.

Similarly, military convoys, from Jammu to Rajouri/Poonch and vice-versa, often get delayed for hours due to the hurdles en route.

Meanwhile, the 300 km long Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-1a) remained closed for vehicular traffic on the sixth consecutive day today due to landslides at Paenthal, official sources said.

About 5,000 passengers, besides hundreds of trucks, are stranded on the highway at different places since it was closed on February 21.

UNI