Traffic resumed on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway

Srinagar: Traffic was resumed on 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu National Highway today after remaining suspended for several hours due to landslides, triggered by heavy rains.
A traffic police official said light and passenger vehicles were allowed from both sides after the landslides’ rubble was removed from the Highway at Penthal this afternoon.
Earlier, traffic from both the sides on the Highway, the only road linking the Kashmir valley, was stopped following landslides at Penthal, the most troubled 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, had pressed into service to put through the road.
Light and passenger vehicles stranded on the highway were allowed to proceed towards their respective destination.
The National Highway connecting the Ladakh region with the rest of the state, remained closed since December 1 last year due to 10 to 15 feet of snowfall between Baltal to Meenamarg.
The BRO has already started clearing the roads from both the 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.