Hundreds of Kashmir-bound vehicles were stranded as Srinagar-Jammu national highway, connecting the valley with rest of the country, was closed due to landslides on Sunday. Meanwhile, only one-way traffic continued on 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh highway, connecting the Union Territory of Ladakh with Kashmir, due to bad road conditions while historic Mughal road remained closed due to accumulation of several feet of snow. “Traffic on 180-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway was suspended due to landslide at Chandarkoot,” a traffic police official told UNI.He said due to suspension of traffic hundreds of vehicles were stranded at various places on the highway. However, he said the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the road, have pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to clear the landslide. “Traffic will be allowed on the highway only after clearance of the road,” he said. “Only Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) were on Sunday allowed to ply from Jammu to Srinagar. Vehicles had to cross Nagrota (Jammu) between 0500 hrs and 1200 hrs while Jakheni (Udhampur) between 0600 hrs and 1300 hrs,” he added. He said the historic 86-km-long Mughal road, linking Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region, remained closed due to accumulation of snow and slippery road conditions for the past about three weeks. He said only one-way traffic will be allowed from Kargil to Srinagar today on Ladakh higwhay. “LMVs followed by Heavy Motor vehicles (HMVs) will be allowed from Minamarg in Ladakh to Kashmir from 0900 hrs to 1400 hrs,” he said, adding vehicles may carry anti-skid chain to gain more grip on slippery road. He said security forces will also follow the same schedule, adding no vehicles will be allowed to ply in the opposite direction.
