Ramban: Despite intermittent rain and shooting stones at the Mehar-Cafeteria near Ramban, the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained open for two-way traffic of Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) and one-way traffic of Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) for Kashmir on Wednesday.
Traffic authorities said that during the last 24 hours up to 5 pm on Wednesday, the highway remained blocked for 4 hours and 35 minutes.
They said that the highway remained blocked for 1 hour 40 minutes due to shooting stones at Mehar-Cafeteria.
The traffic authorities said that the highway remained blocked for 1 hour and 45 due to the closure of the Chenani-Nashri Tunnel and for 1 hour and 10 minutes due to the closure of the Banihal-Qazigund Tunnel.
They said that the traffic movement remained slow due to the breakdown of four HMVs and on-foot movement of nomads and their livestock between Nashri and Banihal.
Traffic officials in Ramban said that despite the rain, hundreds of LMVs and HMVs crossed the Nashri-Banihal sector of the highway towards their respective destinations.
They said HMVs carrying essential supplies for Kashmir headed towards their destinations at a slow pace due to slippery road conditions.
Meanwhile, the J&K Traffic Police Department issued a fresh advisory for Thursday stating that subject to fair weather and road clearance, LMVs would be allowed to ply on both sides of the highway while HMVs would be allowed from Qazigund, Kashmir towards Jammu after assessing the road and traffic situation on Thursday morning.
They directed the security forces not to ply against the traffic plan due to the possible traffic congestion and narrow carriageway between Nashri and Banihal.
People have been advised to undertake journeys on the highway only after confirming the status of the road from the Traffic Control Units (TCU) Srinagar, Ramban, Udhampur, and Jammu on Thursday.
Traffic officials monitoring the regulation of traffic on the highway in Ramban said that the highway was open although the road was slippery.
They advised the operators to remain cautious while driving on the highway.
