Srinagar/Kargil: The Jammu-Srinagar national highway was opened for traffic Tuesday after a day-long closure owing to a massive landslide in Udhampur district, while as officials said that efforts are on to open the 434 km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway as soon as possible.
While light motor vehicles were allowed from both sides of the highway this morning, heavy vehicles were moving only from Srinagar to Jammu.
Road clearance operation in the landslide-hit area was underway.
Explosives were used to blast boulders which had completely blocked the highway at Dewal near Samroli on Monday.
The traffic authorities said that in case of better weather and road conditions, Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) would be allowed to ply on the highway from both sides while as Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) would be allowed only from Jammu to Srinagar.
Meanwhile, snow clearance operation along the Srinagar-Leh national highway is in the last phase and efforts are on to open the 434 km-long strategic road as soon as possible, BRO officials said on Tuesday.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is maintaining the highway which usually remains closed during winters due to heavy snowfall in the 3528 m-high Zojila Pass, a high mountain pass that runs through the Kashmir Valley to Ladakh.
BRO’s Project Vijayak Chief Engineer Ashish Gambir said the snow clearance operation is going on in full swing in the Zojila Pass and the road would be opened as soon as possible.
He gave this assurance to Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC)-Kargil Chairman and Chief Executive Councillor Feroz Ahmad Khan during a meeting here, an official spokesperson said.
Gambir said only a stretch of 2-3 km is left to be cleared of snow from Srinagar side and the highway is all set to reopen shortly. It was closed for vehicular traffic in January this year.
