The people of Poonch district have appealed to the administration to open the historic Mughal Road immediately after the snow is cleared from it. However, the authorities said that the snow clearance will start in the second week of March only.
The Mughal Road connecting Pir Panjal region with the Kashmir Valley remains closed for six to eight months every year due to snow and unfavourable weather conditions.
The road was closed in November due to snowfall.
The journey from Rajouri as well as Poonch district to the valley takes five to six hours through this road. “I need to go to Kashmir every month for medical check-up of my father and the Mughal Road facilities easy and short travel,” Shabir Ahmed, a Poonch Mandi resident said, adding that presently he had to move to the Valley via Jammu Srinagar National Highway and “this takes almost two days”.
Many traders from Poonch’s Surankote said that vehicular movement on the Mughal Road boosts trade and tourism in Rajouri and Poonch. They urged the authorities to ensure early restoration of the road.
Tariq Ahmad Khan, Assistant Executive Engineer, Mechanical Engineering Department told Greater Kashmir that snow clearance work will be started from the second week of March “and it is only after that that the passenger vehicles will be allowed”.