Kashmir highway shut due to fresh landslides, Leh and Mughal roads remain closed

The 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the only road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was closed on Friday morning due to landslides and shooting stones , triggered by rain, at several places.

"We have suspended traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway this morning following landslides and shooting stones at several place, including Digdol", a traffic police official told UNI.

"Since only one-way traffic was being allowed on the highway to avoid any traffic jam or accident, today vehicles were to ply from Jammu to Srinagar", he said. From Srinagar to Jawahar tunnel the road was through despite rain, he said adding but due to landslides on other side of the tunnel, traffic from Jammu has been stopped. We have not allowed any vehicle to leave from Jammu so far. However, he said, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintainance of the highway has already pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to clear the landslides.

There is a prediction for more avalanche on the highway, he said adding for safety reasons, traffic will be allowed only when a green signal is received from traffic police personnel posted at different places and BRO.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Kashmir bound vehicles, including those carrying passengers and trucks loaded with essentials, have been stopped at Nagrota, Udhampur and Jammu. Once the road is put through the vehicles will be allowed to move towards Srinagar, he said adding no vehicle will be allowed from opposite direction.