Srinagar: The Jammu-Srinagar national highway remained closed for the third day on Sunday owing to multiple landslides in Ramban district even as the road clearance agencies speeded up the restoration work amid improvement in weather, officials said.
With improvement in weather after days of heavy rain and snowfall across Jammu and Kashmir, especially on Friday and Saturday, the road clearance operation was intensified to restore traffic on the 270-km-long strategic highway – the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country.
However, as loose debris from the hillocks overlooking the highway at various places was still flowing down and delaying the clearance operation, the movement of traffic was restricted.
Meanwhile, the traffic authorities have decided to allow light vehicles to ply on the highway, to and fro, on Monday subject to fair weather and better road condition.
Passenger Light Motor Vehicles shall be allowed from both sides on the presently shut Jammu-Srinagar highway tomorrow while no bus or minibus will be allowed from either side, an advisory issued by the traffic department said.
It said that the cut off timing for LMVs from Nagrota (Jammu) will be 0700 hrs to 1200 hrs, from Jakheni (Udhampur) 0800 hrs to 1300 hrs and from Navyug Tunnel (Qazigund side) 0900 hrs to 1300 hrs. No Vehicle shall be allowed before and after cut off timing.
As for HMVs/Load Carriers, subject to fair weather and better road condition, HMVs shall be allowed from Jakheni (Udhampur) towards Srinagar after the tail of up LMVs crosses Jakheni. TCU Udhampur has been asked to liaise with TCU Ramban before releasing the HMVs.
Security Forces have been advised not to ply against advisory/traffic plan in view of traffic congestion on Jammu-Srinagar NHW. They may ply from Jammu towards Srinagar after confirming the status of NHW, said the advisory.
HMVs with only 06 and 10 tyres shall be allowed to ply through Dhar road, he added.
Mughal Road, Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri Road and Kishtwar-Sinthan Road remain shut for now.
