J&K: After four months closure, Mughal road to reopen for vehicular traffic

Jammu: The historic Mughal road, connecting the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch in the Jammu region with south Kashmir’s Shopian district, will be reopened for vehicular traffic on Wednesday after remaining closed for over four months due to heavy snowfall, informed officials on Tuesday. Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Raghav Langer ordered the reopening of the road, which was cleared of snow by the Mechanical Engineering Department after a hectic road clearance operation, they said. The officials said the department pressed its men and machines to clear the 84-km stretch from Bufliaz in Poonch to Shopian and managed to clear the road about two weeks ago but a decision for its reopening was delayed to ensure that the road is safe for the commuters. Quoting the order of the divisional commissioner, they said the road shall be open for regular traffic from 27 April. The commuters have been asked to follow the traffic advisories issued by the traffic police authorities from time to time for smooth movement and regulation of heavy motor vehicles and light motor vehicles, they said. There has been persistent demand from the locals for the early reopening of the Mughal road, an alternate road link between Kashmir and Jammu which usually remains closed for several months during the winter. A delegation of panchayat members met the divisional commissioner here on Monday and raised the demand for the early reopening of the road for the benefit of the public, including the nomadic population who are moving from higher reaches in search of greener pastures for their cattle in the valley, the officials said. The road was closed for vehicular traffic on 23 December last year after the high-altitude areas including Peer Ki Gali along the Mughal road experienced heavy snowfall. The 270-km Jammu-Srinagar highway is the only all-weather road connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country, while Anantnag in south Kashmir and Kishtwar in the Jammu region is connected through Sinthan top and the road was also reopened for traffic last week. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.