Traffic on Srinagar-Jammu highway disrupted due to landslides

Srinagar: Traffic on 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu National highway was closed due to landslides, triggered by heavy rains.
Traffic from both sides on the highway, the only road linking the Kashmir valley, had been stopped today following landslides at Penthal, the most trouble spot, a traffic police spokesman said.
He said heavy rains had triggered landslides and there was also shooting stones in the area, forcing authorities to suspend the traffic movement for precautionary measure.
However, he said, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) responsible for the maintenance of the highway, has already pressed into service to put through the road.
It will take another few hours before allowing traffic, he said.
Official sources said hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying passengers are stranded on both sides of the Penthal.
Meanwhile, the national highway, connecting the Ladakh region with the rest of the state, remained closed since December 1st last year due to 10 to 15 feet of snowfall between Baltal to Meenamarg.
The BRO has already started snow clearance operation from both sides of the zojila pass, where about 10 feet of snow had accumulated.
The highway will be put through anytime next month, sources said.
All far flung and remote areas near the Line of Control (LoC) in Bandipora and Kupwara district in north Kashmir remained cut off from the rest of the state due to snowfall since December last year.
Similarly, a number of areas also remained cut off from district headquarters in Leh and kargil in Ladakh region due to snowfall since December last year.
Snow clearance operation has already been initiated to connect all these cut off areas in the valley and Ladakh.