Srinagar, Oct 30: The 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the only all weather road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was closed on Tuesday due to landslides early this morning.
However, the 34-km-long Srinagar-Leh and 86-km-long historic Mughal road are through for traffic with some restrictions.
‘We have suspended traffic movement on the Srinagar-Jammu highway early this morning following huge landslide at Ramban, a traffic police official told media.
He said the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) have already put into service sophisticated machine and men to clear the landslide and put through traffic. However, he said, it will take several hours to clear the landslides.
He said traffic on the road will be resumed only after getting clearance from the BRO and traffic police personnel posted at different places on the highway.
The Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region was open for both way traffic, he said.
He said Light Motor Vehicle (LMV) traffic was allowed from both sides. However, Heavy Motor Vehicle (HMV) up to six tyre trucks will ply from Buffliaz towards Shopian, he said adding no HMV will be allowed from opposite direction.
Large number of vehicles, including empty trucks and oil tankers, left Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, and Meenmarg early this morning for Sonamarg in central Kashmir, he said. No vehicle was allowed from this side during this period, he said, adding vehicles, including those carrying essentials for Ladakh region, will be allowed from here in the afternoon. Only one-way traffic is allowed at Zojila and Zero point to avoid any accident or traffic jam, he said, adding on rest of the highway traffic is plying from both ways.
