Srinagar-Lakhanpur Highway fully sanitised

Srinagar, Aug 12: With the Srinagar-Lakhanpur National Highway being fully sanitised and convoys carrying fruit and supplies under heavy police escorts, Governor, Mr N N Vohra has asked the Chief Secretary to monitor and ensure uninterrupted traffic movement round the clock.

In view of the sporadic attempts of unseemly elements in Jammu and Kashmir regions to attack or delay the movement of trucks and tankers carrying the supplies, all the District Superintendents of Police (SP) concerned have been ordered to provide police escorts with wireless communication facilities and Road Opening Party (ROP) to ensure unhindered and safe movement of essential commodities.

An official spokesman said today each such convoy will be taken over by the next SP along the highway and handed over to the successive district Police authorities, till the vehicles leave the Jammu and Kashmir boundary.

This arrangement will cover the Highway from Baramulla to Lakhanpur.

The Governor had ordered that each Range DIG will deploy mobile patrols to ensure that no truck and tanker is stranded on the Highway for whatsoever reason. Each mobile patrol will be equipped with wireless sets for communication between the patrols and with the Police Control Rooms. The Zonal Inspectors General of Police will be responsible for supervising these arrangements.

The Governor had, as per his earlier directions, ordered for special inputs on the movement of fruit, petrol and LPG cylinders and supply of essential commodities to and from the Valley.

He had also reiterated the need for ensuring adequate stocking of medicines in hospitals and in the retail stores.

As the pharmaceutical companies in Mumbai have been rushing medicines directly to stockists and dealers in valley, the Association of Chemists and Drug Stores, Srinagar has reported that there is no shortage of medicines in the Valley.

Mr Vohra has asked the Chief Secretary to monitor the ready availability of all the life saving drugs, at all costs.

Meanwhile, since the past four days, about 2600 trucks had entered the State, of which 1137 had arrived in the Valley, including 116 of POL and LPG and 186 of Livestock and Poultry.

As many as 1961 heavy vehicles had moved out, of which 267 carried fruit to the plains.

UNI