One way traffic resumes on Jammu-Srinagar highway; thousands of vehicles were stranded on 270-km stretch since five days

Jammu: After remaining closed for the past five days, Kashmir-bound traffic from Jammu was allowed on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway on Saturday even as fresh snowfall and rains lashed parts of the state, officials said.

Thousands of vehicles were stranded after the 270-kilometre strategic highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country, was closed on Monday after multiple landslides and sinking of a portion of a  road near Ramban town, they said.

After restoring the road and clearing the stranded vehicles, including trucks carrying essential commodities to Srinagar, authorities decided to allow Kashmir-bound traffic from Jammu on Saturday. “The traffic was allowed from Jammu to Srinagar this (Saturday) morning and the traffic was going on smoothly when last reports were received, despite snowfall in Jawahar Tunnel and Banihal areas and rains all along the highway,” a traffic department official said.

He said about three inches of fresh snowfall had accumulated on the ground around Jawahar Tunnel — the gateway to Jammu region, but failed to have any impact on the movement of the vehicles. However, the official directed drivers to be careful, especially in the landslide-prone areas and the Jawahar Tunnel.

The high altitude areas experienced fresh snowfall, while the plains were lashed by rains since Friday evening. The weatherman has predicted moderate rain or snow on higher reaches till Sunday evening.