Highway closed on 2nd day today, Kashmir cut off from the country

Srinagar, Mar 12 (UNI) The Kashmir valley remained cut off from the rest of the country for the second day today due to closure of 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway due to landslides, and heavy snowfall.

A report from Baramulla said Kupwara-Karnah and other roads to far flung and remote areas have also been closed due to heavy snowfall since early this morning.

More than 1000 vehicles, including those carrying passengers from Srinagar to Jammu are stranded on the highway on this side of Penthal, the most troubled spot on the highway, the life line to Kashmir valley.

A traffic police official told UNI the highway remained closed for the second day today due to one to two feet of snowfall between Jawahar tunnel-Banihal-Ramban.

Fresh rain has triggered massive landslides and shooting stones at Penthal where a portion of the road has been damaged.

He said the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) responsible for the maintenance of the highway has pressed into service hundreds of labourers and machine to clear the highway.

Continuous rains in the Penthal area and snowfall in Banihal sector has badly affected the road clearance operation.

He said no vehicle was allowed from Jammu or Srinagar today.

However, in case the road is reopened only stranded vehicles would be allowed to proceed towards their respective destinations, he said.

More than 2000 vehicles, including trucks carrying fruit, left Srinagar yesterday morning. Only 400 to 500 crossed Penthal while others, including those carrying passengers are stranded since yesterday afternoon.

Last month the highway remained closed for about ten days after about 90 feet of road was washed away at Penthal, leading to shortage of essential commodities in the Valley. About ten thousand passengers got stranded in Jammu of which a majority of them were airlifted to Srinagar by the Indian Airforce and Army.

UNI