Srinagar, Dec 20: Hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying essentials and passengers, left Jammu for Kashmir valley on Thursday morning as one-way traffic was allowed on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway after clearing stranded vehicles on Wednesday.
However, historic Mughal road and Leh-Srinagar National Highway, connecting Ladakh with Kashmir, remained closed for the past 11 days.
“We have allowed traffic today from Jammu to Srinagar on the highway, the only road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country,” a traffic police official told media.
He said only stranded vehicles were allowed on the 300-km-long highway, which was put through on Wednesday morning after being closed on Tuesday evening following fresh landslides at Ramban.
However, he said due to bad road conditions, traffic advisory has been issued for the vehicles plying on the highway.
“Both Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) and Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) will ply from Jammu to Srinagar on the highway on Thursday,” he said.
He said LMVs will have to pass Nagrota between 0900 hrs to 1300 hrs and Jakheni in Udhampur upto 1500 hrs. “No vehicle will be allowed to pass Nagrota and Jakheni after cut off time,” he said.
The official said that HMVs and load carriers will be allowed to pass Jakheni between 1500 hrs to 2400 hrs.
“The commuters are advised not to travel during night hours,” he said, adding no movement of any type of vehicle shall be allowed from opposite direction.
He said people are advised to undertake journey on the highway only after confirming status of the road.
He said the Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch, remained closed due to slippery road conditions and accumulation of several feet of snow.
The official said there is very remote chance of resumption of traffic on the Mughal road, which remains closed for six winter months due to heavy snowfall and threat of avalanches.
He said traffic also remained suspended on 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh highway following snowfall due to which the road has become slippery.
A large number of Kashmir vehicles, including empty trucks and oil tankers besides carrying passengers, are stranded at Drass, Kargil and other places on other side of the Zojila pass. Similarly, some vehicles are also stopped on this side of the pass in the central Kashmir district of Ganderbal.
There is very less chance of resumption of traffic on the highway following accumulation of snow due to below freezing temperature, making snow clearance operation difficult, official sources said, adding that there is also threat of avalanches.
