Srinagar-Leh highway remains closed, Kashmir highway open

Srinagar, Nov 18: The 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway remained closed for vehicular traffic for the second day on Saturday while traffic on historic Mughal road was suspended since Friday afternoon due to slippery conditions.

However, the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was through for traffic. Due to fresh snowfall, particularly at Sonamarg, Zojila, Meenmarg and Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, traffic on the highway, linking Ladakh region with Kashmir, was suspended on Friday. No vehicle was allowed from either side for the second day today, a traffic police official. He said the road had become slippery because of below freezing temperature, particularly between Sonamarg-Zojila and Drass. Therefore, he said, traffic was suspended as a precautionary measure to avoid any accident.  Decision to allow traffic on the highway will be taken only after authorities review the road condition later, provided there is improvement in the weather. He said that traffic on 86-km-long historic Mughal road, linking Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region, also remained suspended since yesterday afternoon due to fresh snowfall and slippery road condition. However, traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway was plying normally. He said light vehicles will ply from both sides while heavy vehicles operated from Jammu to Srinagar today. No heavy vehicle will be allowed from opposite direction on the highway.   UNI