The district administration on Wednesday claimed to have reopened Bandipora-Gurez road for traffic movement even as the Border Roads Organization said that a few kilometers of the road were yet to be cleared of snow to make it motorable.
Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary on his twitter handle said the traffic on Bandipora-Gurez road has been allowed and anti-skid chains for vehicles are mandatory while vehicles would be allowed to move in groups.
“Traffic allowed. Anti-skid chain mandatory. Vehicles allowed in groups,” he tweeted.
However, officer commanding BRO, Lt. Col APS Khaira, said that the road would be reopened for traffic after a day or two provided all goes well as the snow clearance team have crossed the Razdan Pass and a few kilometers are yet to be cleared of snow.
He said that it will take them at least one day to clear snow from the road and make it trafficable.
Bandipora-Gurez road was closed on January 02 following heavy snowfall in the area.
The maintenance work, macadamization and snow clearance on 86-km long Bandipora- Gurez road is being carried by the Project Beacon of the BRO right from Sonerwani Bandipora up to Kabul Gali, last point of the road in Gurez.
Khaira said that the snow accumulation at the Razdan Pass is over seven feet and sub-zero temperature makes the surface icy which makes the movement of vehicles very difficult.
He advised the people of Gurez and Bandipora not to travel on the road from either side as the road is yet to be made trafficable and driving on the road could prove risky.
He said that once the road is opened, the safety measures have to be ensured by the district administration by allowing only 4/4 vehicles with non-skid chains and regular assessment of the road has to be done to ensure the safety of the travelers.
On being asked why there have been conflicting reports on the reopening of Gurez road, DC Bandipora Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said that the road was temporarily closed for traffic in the afternoon. “Heavy winds were blowing on Razdan Pass so it needed fresh snow clearance this afternoon. There is no conflict. We take clearance from the BRO before allowing vehicles to move,” he said.
A BRO official said that even as the weather remains challenging in hilly regions, Beacon was making all-out efforts to clear the snow on the road to re-open it for traffic.