Jammu-Srinagar NH opens for one-way traffic

Jammu/ Srinagar: The Jammu-Srinagar national highway was opened for one-way traffic on Sunday, a day after it was closed due to heavy snowfall and landslides, officials said.

The only all-weather road linking the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country, was opened for traffic coming from Srinagar to Jammu after nine hours of clearance operations, they said.

The operation along the Jawahar tunnel, and Qazigund and Banihal-Ramban stretches, was launched around 5 am on Sunday, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ramban, Anita Sharma, told PTI.

It took almost nine hours for workers to clear the road for one-way traffic, she said.

The SSP said the over 300 stranded passengers, including tourists, who were evacuated from the Jawahar tunnel area and brought to Banihal late on Saturday night, were allowed to move towards Jammu on Sunday.

They were Jammu-bound passengers and were rescued from the Kashmir-side of the tunnel and the Verinag Zing area, where more than one-feet of snow had accumulated, she said.

Snow clearance operation are still underway at some areas of the highway, Sharma said.

The 270-km highway was closed for vehicular traffic on Saturday evening after heavy snowfall in Qazigund-Jawahar tunnel sector coupled with landslides at Pantiyal, Ramsoo, Digdol and Battery Cheshma along the Banihal-Ramban stretch due to incessant rains.

The officials said snow clearance operation have also started along the Mughal road, connecting the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu with south Kashmir's Shopian district.

They said about four-feet of snow had accumulated on the ground in Peer Ki Gali area over the past couple of days.

Over 120 people, mostly truckers, were rescued after they got stranded in the high-altitude area on Saturday, the officials said. "The snow clearance operation was started Sunday afternoon following improvement in the weather.

We are on the job and efforts are on to ensure early restoration of the road which usually remains closed during winter owing to heavy snowfall in Peer Ki Gali area," Deputy Superintendent of Police (traffic) Mohammad Rafiq said.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday took stock of the situation arising due to heavy snowfall and ordered immediate restoration of essential services such as road connectivity and electricity in the affected areas.

Malik directed the administration to expedite efforts to mitigate difficulties of people and meet their requirements in view of the inclement weather conditions, an official spokesman said.

Regarding restoration of road connectivity, the governor was told that all inter-district roads have been restored and the Srinagar-Jammu highway has been opened, he said.

Malik has also asked the principal secretary finance to make adequate funds available the power and public works departments for replacement of damaged transformers and snow clearance operations respectively, the spokesman said.

The governor directed evacuation of all passengers stranded on the Srinagar-Jammu highway, the Mughal road and other major arterial links in the state, he said.

Surface and air links between the Kashmir Valley and rest of the country were snapped on Saturday, while Srinagar witnessed snowfall in November for the first time since 2009.

"In the last two decades, it was only the fourth time that it has snowed in Srinagar in November with 2009, 2008 and 2004 being the earlier instances," an official of the MeT Department said.