Ganderbal, Apr 26: The strategic Zojila Pass on Srinagar-Kargil road connecting Ladakh with Jammu and Kashmir remained shut for vehicular movement for 10th consecutive day on Wednesday.
The road was closed on April 16, following snow avalanches along Zojila Pass at several places and fresh accumulation of snow on the road.
Border Roads Organisation (BRO) which looks after the road maintenance and clearance work of the road is working to clear the road of snow and avalanches along the Zojila Pass to restore the traffic movement.
BRO incharge Zojila Lakshmi Shankar said that the snow clearance operation was hit by inclement weather and continuous slides at several places, adding that after 10 days of continuous work the highway has been connected now and road is cleared. He said that at avalanche hit areas the road widening is going in.
Deputy Superintend of Police Headquarter Kargil, Manzoor Ahmad on Wednesday visited Zojila Pass to assess the road clearance and conditions so that the traffic movement is restored. ” The road has been connected, however the weather is not favourable as it has started snowing again at Zojila. If weather conditions allow, the decision to allow traffic or not will be taken on Thursday ” DySP told Greater Kashmir.
Meanwhile, hundreds of vehicles including trucks and passenger vehicles continued to remain stranded on both sides of the highway for 10th days now. The drivers and passengers complained of facing problems due to road closure.
Prominent social-political activist from Kargil Sajad Hussain Kargili has urged the administration to airlift the stranded students in Kashmir. ” Hundreds of students are stranded in Srinagar and Sonamarg areas for the past week due to the closure of the highway. The students are in a dire state having spent a large amount to travel to Kargil solely for verification of their documents in the wake of the SSCMess. They are now facing financial issues and are waiting for the verification process for a job for which they are only probable candidates. SSCMess is beyond comprehension” Sajad tweeted.
“I request Hon’ble @lg_ladakh sahib to kindly pass instructions to the concerned authorities to arrange an IL76 for airlifting the stranded students and passengers from Srinagar. Expediting the snow clearance is something that can be disrupted due to an avalanche, and the weather for the next week in the Srinagar area is forecasted to be cloudy/rainy/snow.
So, we should request airlifting the students” he added.