Srinagar-Gumri road closed for 6 months

Srinagar, Oct 22: With the closure of Sonmarg-Gumri road from Friday, traffic movement on the 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh will remain suspended for six winter months.

However, traffic from Drass (the second coldest place in the world after Siberia) to Kargil and Leh will continue to ply during winter months, depending upon the weather conditions.

Meanwhile, the authorities claimed to have stocked sufficient quantity of essential commodities in Leh and Kargil and other far flung remote areas which get cut off during the winter months.

A spokesman of the BEACON project, responsible for the maintainance of the highway, life line to entire Ladakh region, said due to erratic weather conditions, early snowfall, extreme cold temperature and likely icing on the road surface especially on Zojila Pass, it has beeen decided to close Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri for all vehicular traffic from Oct 31.

He said all resources deployed at various locations on Srinagar- Sonamarg-Gumri road will be withdrawn accordingly.

Chief Engineer, Project Beacon has further said following the closure of the road, it will not be possible to provide any assistance to passengers who get trapped on the highway after Friday.

He has requested public and tourist as well as transporters not to ply their vehicles beyond Gagangir on Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri road after the closure of teh highway.

It will not be possible for Project Beacon to evacuate any person or vehicle trapped on the highway,he said.

UNI