Kashmir highway closed again due to heavy snowfall

Srinagar, Feb 4 (UNI) Traffic on the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, was suspended yet again last night following heavy snowfall and shooting of stones.

Traffic movement on the highway has become unpredictable as the only road, linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the world, often gets closed due to snowfall and landslides, triggered by rains.

We have not allowed any traffic movement from Srinagar or Jammu this morning because of heavy snowfall between Jawahar tunnel and Banihal area, a traffic police official told UNI here.

He said the road was again blocked since last evening following heavy snowfall.

It was still raining at Jawahar tunnel where more than two feet of snow had accumulated since last evening.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway had pressed into service about 40 machines and hundreds of labourers to make the highway traffic worthy as soon as possible.

Official sources said hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying passengers and truck loaded with essential commodities were stranded on the highway.

About one thousand tourists and others were also stranded in Srinagar.

We have confirmed railway tickets for tonight from Jammu, a group of tourists from Ahmedabad said who could not undertook the journey down to Jammu yesterday after they were sent back from Qazigund by the traffic officials.

They said they were told that no vehicle from Srinagar would be allowed to cross the tunnel after 1430 hours. However, there was no restriction for passengers coming from Jammu, they alleged.

Similarly a large number of passengers, including tourists, were stranded at Jammu and other points on the highway on the other side of the tunnel.

UNI BAS YSS JT AS1311