The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the only all-weather road connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the world, remained closed for the third consecutive day on Friday. With the meteorological department predicting rain during the next 24 hours, the prospect of the highway’s opening anytime soon remains grim.
“The road is still closed and there has been no headway,”Traffic Inspector General of Police Alok Kumar told Greater Kashmir.
The highway was closed Wednesday following massivelandslides at Digdol along the 300-km-long road.
The IGP said that more than 5000 vehicles are stranded onthe highway on both sides of the Banihal tunnel.
“The road clearance work is underway at several places butshooting stones are hampering the clearance operation,” he said, asserting thatwhile they are trying to re-open the highway “chances of its immediate openingseem to be bleak”.
“Once the road re-opens, we will clear stranded vehicles,”he said and asked the travellers to plan their journeys on the highway onlyafter contacting the traffic control units.
Inclement weather has led to closure of the highway severaltimes this winter, leading to shortage of essential supplies to the Valley.
Traffic police officials said that the traffic on the 84-kmmountainous Mughal Road, connecting the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri inJammu region with south Kashmir’s Shopian, plied normally on Friday.
The Mughal Road, an alternate link between Kashmir and restof the country, was Wednesday opened for traffic after remaining closed forfour months owing to heavy snowfall during winter.
Meanwhile MeT officials predicted light to moderate rainduring the next 24 hours in several parts of the Valley.