Kashmir highway closed yet again due to snowfall

Srinagar, Jan 29: The 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway was closed yet again due to heavy snowfall and slippery road conditions.

Hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying passengers and essential commodities, were stranded on both sides of the Jawahar tunnel, official sources said. A traffic police official said traffic on the highway, only road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was suspended following heavy snowfall at 2.9-km-long tunnel and its periphery early today.

He said the road had become slippery and it was not safe to allow traffic.

However, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway, has pressed into service machines and workers to clear the accumulated snow. But the continuing snowfall were hampering the operation, he said.

He said Penthal, the most troubled spot on the highway, was so far safe. There was no report of any shooting stones and landslides, he said.

Meanwhile, official sources said trucks carrying essential commodities from Jammu to here, besides other vehicles, were stranded at different points on other side of the Banihal.

This is the fourth time the highway was closed for traffic during this winter.

UNI