Kashmir highway closed again due to landslides, snowfall

Srinagar, Feb 3: The 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway was closed yet again due to heavy snowfall and landslides, triggered by rains.

A traffic police official said, the highway, only road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was closed for traffic movement this morning following landslides triggered by rains at Penthal.

Shooting stones and landslides at Penthal, the most troubled spot on the highway, continued because of rains in the entire belt since early morning.

Efforts were on to clear the stones and mud on the road, he said.

The official said there was fresh snowfall between Jawahar tunnel and Banihal since last evening. However, the Border Roads Organisation, responsible for the maintenance of the highway, have pressed into service hundreds of workers and sophisticated machines, to clear the accumulted snow. It would take just few hours to clear the road, he said, adding that the main problem was the shooting stones at Penthal.

Hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying passengers, were stranded on the highway. However, the vehicles which left Jammu this morning were stopped at Udhampur and other places, sources informed.

Similarly, vehicles which left Srinagar for Jammu, were stranded on this side of the tunnel.

UNI