God knows who whispered in the ears of those early rulers to hew out a way through these treacherous mountains that would have their vengeance every year unleashed on people of Kashmir. And only God can explain to us why in these supremely advanced age of technology this road connecting Kashmir to the outside world is not fit for traffic, without disruption, for even some days straight. It is mind boggling, it’s soul depressing, and it’s economy shattering. The Jammu-Srinagar highway, this season, has remained more closed than open. One forgets the count of days it has been closed for any vehicular traffic. And, as if, it has been aeons when traffic used to ply on this road from both sides. Now people are asking for the least; please keep it open for one way traffic but all days a week. And this seems to be a far fetched wish given the condition of the road. Those who explain it all in terms of weather turning inclement, forget one simple thing.
There is no major shift in the weather of the valley that can explain this more than frequent closure of the road. And also remember, the machinery available now is far more superior, far more efficient, than it used to be. Why then are we facing this hell of a problem. It has devastated the business community. The way markets are affected by this closure of the road, it looks like a war has broken out in the region and the normally connected areas have been thrown into isolation. The general feeling among the people is that no one actually cares for them, and those who were meant to mange the road are least bothered about the ill effects of this closure on the people of the valley, particularly, and of the state at large. A road that is the life line for Kashmir valley can not be ignored like this. Some one must take the matter seriously. The closure of this road is like sending the enter valley to jail, and placing it in a tortuous confinement.