Srinagar-Jammu national highway closed due to landslides

Srinagar, Aug 16 (UNI) The 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, has been closed due to landslides. However, the historic Mughal road and highway linking Ladakh region with Kashmir were through for traffic, a traffic police official told UNI. He said the Srinagar-Jammu national highway was closed last evening following fresh landslides at several places, including at Rattanbas Banihal. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway, immediately pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to clear the landslides and resume traffic. The road clearance operation was on when the reports last came in, he said, adding that traffic will be resumed only after receiving green signal from the BRO and officials posted at different places on the highway. He said no fresh vehicle was allowed from Srinagar or Jammu. Meanwhile, large number of vehicles, including trucks loaded with essentials for Kashmir valley, are stranded at some places on other side of the Banihal. Fresh traffic will be allowed only after clearing stranded vehicles. For security reasons no security force vehicle was allowed on the highway yesterday. The historic Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region, was through for both way traffic. UNI