Ramban, May 6: Traffic congestion was witnessed on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway between Ramsu and Banihal sectors due to the large-scale movement of nomads, single-lane stretches, and poor road surface conditions at several places on Monday.
A large number of vehicles and load carriers, in serpentine queues, remained stuck in traffic congestion at regular intervals at Dalwass, Mehar, Panthial, Magarkote, Hingni, Ramsu, Gangroo, and Sherbibi stretches of the highway.
Officials said that the vehicular movement remained slow due to traffic congestion from the Ramsu to Banihal stretches.
Similar scenes were observed at different stretches on the highway.
“The vehicular traffic remained slow due to traffic congestion, especially at Magarkote, Hingni, Nachlana, Gangroo, Sherbibi, Mehar, Ramban, Dalwass and other places between Nashri and Banihal. Hundreds of vehicles, carrying essential commodities to Kashmir; oil and gas tankers and passenger vehicles, on way to Kashmir and Jammu, remained stuck in traffic congestion due to single-lane road stretches and foot-movement of nomads with livestock,” officials said.
The drivers complained, “There are many single-lane road stretches where only one vehicle can cross at a time. Due to this, vehicles, coming from opposite directions, remain stuck in long queues.”
They said, “As per the advisory of the Traffic Department, heavy vehicles were allowed to ply towards Kashmir on Monday and only stranded traffic between Banihal and Nashri was allowed to ply towards Jammu. It was decided that no heavy vehicles from the opposite direction were allowed to move but, quite contrary, vehicles were plying on both sides of the highway.”
“This has created chaos and confusion on the highway. Heavy vehicles from both sides remained stuck after regular intervals at Chenani, Nashri, Dalwass, and at other places between Nashri and Banihal in traffic congestions,” they said.
On Monday morning, the traffic authorities said, “Down (Jammu bound) traffic of Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) could not be allowed from the Srinagar side due to delay in clearance of down-traffic of heavy vehicles and movement of nomadic flocks between Ramban and Banihal on the highway.”
However, the officials at the Traffic Control Unit (TCU) Ramban said that the congestion was cleared in the afternoon and no vehicle was stranded on the highway. They said heavy vehicles released from Jakhani-Udhampur on Monday afternoon were heading towards their respective destinations in Kashmir, in a regulated manner till late evening.