The Jammu and Kashmir government Wednesday announced that there shall be no movement of civilian traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu highway for two days every week to facilitate movement of forces for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
“Keeping in view the large movement of forces on the highwayduring the parliamentary elections and associated possibility of any ‘fidayeen’attack on forces’ convoys, the state government has notified specified days ina week for the movement of forces from Srinagar to Jammu. During these days, nocivilian traffic would be allowed on the highway,” an official spokesman saidin a statement.
“To mitigate the inconvenience to the civilians by thismove, the government has notified two dedicated days in a week (Sunday andWednesday) exclusively for movement of forces’ convoys and there would be acomplete ban on civilian traffic on the highway during these two days from 4amto 5pm. This prohibition would be from Baramulla through Srinagar, Qazigund,Jawahar tunnel, Banihal and Ramban till Udhampur,” the spokesman said.
The government said it has further decided that “in theevent of any requirement for local traffic movement for any emergency or forother purpose, the local administration and the police would evolve necessaryprocedures for this as is done during curfew days”.
“These restrictions would remain in force till 31st May2019. It would be recalled that the union home minister Rajnath Singh, duringhis visit to Kashmir post-Pulwama attack in February 2019, had announced thatno civilian traffic movement would be allowed during the convoy days. Besides,few days ago, on 30 March, there was a possible fidayeen attack on anothersecurity forces’ convoy at Banihal,” the statement read.