Ramban: The Srinagar-Jammu National highway has been restored for one-way heavy vehicular traffic, including trucks for Kashmir after remaining closed for a few days at Mehar near Ramban.
Traffic authorities said hundreds of oil, gas, petrol diesel and load carriers (trucks) carrying essential commodities including passenger light motor vehicles crossed Mehar landslides towards Kashmir on Saturday.
The highway was closed for heavy motor vehicles due to snowfall and heavy rains which lashed the area following which landslides had triggered on various spots between Chanderkote –Ramsu sector including a huge landslide, shooting stones at Mehar near Ramban.
Contractor companies of NHAI had pressed their men and machinery into service to clear the highway despite frequent landslides and shooting stones at Mehar. However, the highway was restored for one-way heavy vehicular traffic at Mehar on Saturday.
Heavy vehicular traffic on the highway remained disrupted since January 7, due to heavy snowfall, slippery road conditions between Banihal and Qaziqund and multiple landslides between Nashri and Banihal.
Due to blockade hundreds of Heavy Motor Vehicles load carriers remained stranded at several places on the highway.
An official at Traffic Control Unit National highway Udhampur talking to Greater Kashmir said that, “one-way movement of heavy motor vehicles traffic towards Kashmir has been allowed on the highway.”
It is important to mention here that vehicular traffic movement remained disrupted at Mehar due to huge landslides and shooting stones at Mehar, while the contactor company of NHAI prepared a single lane road and one-way traffic was restored through Mehar National highway on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Traffic Police department issued an advisory stating that “subject to fair weather and better road conditions passenger Light Motor Vehicles shall be allowed to move towards Jammu through Qazigund Banihal tunnel on Jammu Srinagar National Highway on Sunday.”
The cut off timings has been fixed for the LMVs from Zig Qazigund 11 am to 3 pm. No vehicle shall be allowed to move before or after the cut off timings. Traffic Control Unit Srinagar shall liaise with TCU Ramban before the releasing of traffic from Zig Qazigund, the advisory said.