Ramban: Intermittent tumbling of shooting stones disrupted movement of vehicular traffic on several occasions at Mehar, Cafeteria Morh of Ramban stretch on Srinagar Jammu National Highway on Friday.
Hence subject to fair weather and good road condition, Jammu bound heavy motor vehicles would be allowed to ply on the highway tomorrow.
Traffic officials said that frequent falling of shooting stones near Mehar, ahead of Ramban in the morning and afternoon after brief intervals impacted free flow of traffic. They said the concerned road maintenance agency deployed its men and machinery at Mehar for clearing debris and stones off the road.
Earlier on Thursday, the highway was blocked due to mud and landslides triggered by heavy rain that lashed the stretch between Mehar and Cafeteria Morh of Ramban. However, the road was restored for vehicular traffic late Thursday night.
The officials said that stranded passenger Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs), private cars and Jammu bound heavy motor vehicles were also permitted to move towards their respective destinations. “However, the continuous falling of shooting stones from a hillock between Cafeteria Morh and Mehar near Mehar bridge in Ramban kept on hindering traffic flow after brief intervals. Although the NHAI has deployed its men and machinery at the spot for clearing the accumulated shooting stones, debris from the road, the low intensity rolling stones are disrupting the free flow of traffic,” they added.
The officials regulating movement of traffic said, “As the shooting stones are still rolling down the hillock, we are trying to clear scheduled traffic of Kashmir bound heavy motor vehicles with utmost caution at Cafeteria Morh and Mehar stretch of the highway.”
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Traffic Police Headquarters issued an advisory stating that subject to fair weather and good road conditions, LMVs would be allowed to ply on the both sides whereas heavy motor vehicles would be allowed to move towards Jammu from Qazigund in Kashmir after assessing traffic situation on Saturday morning.