Ramban, Jan 13: The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained closed due to snowfall at Jawahar Tunnel, Nowgam-Banihal-Qazigund tunnel and Banihal town and heavy rains between Banihal and Udhampur sector of the highway on Friday.
The vehicular traffic on the highway was suspended due to fresh snowfall on both sides of the Banihal-Qaziqund tunnel, heavy rains between Udhampur-Banihal and due to shooting stones at Mehar near Ramban, Traffic Police said.
He said no fresh scheduled traffic was allowed from Qazigund, Kashmir, and Jakhani, Udhampur on Friday.
However, Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) stranded in Udhampur, Banihal, and Qazigund were allowed to move towards their respective destinations after the concerned road maintenance agencies cleared the accumulated snow and stones from the road late Friday afternoon.
Officials in Ramban said that the Border Road Organisation (BRO) responsible for the maintenance of the old alignment of the highway from Nowgam to Jawahar Tunnel sector has already put into service their men and machinery to clear the snow accumulated since Friday morning.
They said authorities of NHAI also pressed into service their men and machinery to clear the accumulated snow from Banihal to Banihal-Qaziqund tunnel stretch and stones and debris from the road at Mehar and some other places between Nashri and Banihal late Friday afternoon and make the road traffic worthy but the fresh spell of rain once again forced the authorities to suspend the vehicular traffic on both sides of the highway.
Superintendent of Police Ramban, Mohita Sharma, who also holds the charge of SP Traffic National Highway, Ramban, said road clearance operation was cleared in the noon and some LMVs were allowed to move but due to a fresh spell of rain in the evening vehicular traffic was once again suspended on the highway.
She said traffic on the highway was suspended as a precaution.
The authorities have stopped all vehicular movement between Udhampur and Banihal as shooting stones and the danger of landslides at various execution sites on the highway is looming large due to heavy rains.
Reports received from Qazigund, Kashmir and Nagrota, Jammu, Dhar road, and Jakhani, Udhampur said that hundreds of HMVs and LMVs have been stopped.
The traffic authorities advised the commuters not to undertake journeys on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway till weather improves.