Kashmir highway clear for one-way; Leh & Mughal roads still closed

Srinagar, Dec 21: The national highway, connecting the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country was through on Thursday for one-way traffic after disruption due to landslides on Wednesday evening.

Traffic will ply from Srinagar to Jammu. However, no vehicle be allowed from the opposite direction, a traffic police official.
The 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway, linking Ladakh region with Kashmir and historic 86-km-long Mughal road remained closed due to accumulation of snow. Dozens of far-flung and remote areas, including near the Line of Control (LoC) also remained cut off from their respective district headquarters. However, the authorities have now decided to introduce helicopter service.
He said traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway was suspended on Wednesday following landslides at Mehaad Ramban. However, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway was immediately put into service sophisticated machines and men to remove the huge landslide. 
Majority of the vehicles, which had got stranded after the suspension of the traffic were cleared.
'We allowed one-way traffic on the highway today and heavy and light vehicles will ply from here to winter capital, Jammu,' he said adding no vehicle, including security force convoy would be allowed from opposite direction under any circumstances.
He said only one-way traffic would continue on the highway as the road at several places is still very narrow and damaged, where repair work is going on.
He said the Srinagar-Leh national highway has been closed for winter months due to accumulation of snow and slippery road condition, particularly between Sonamarg-Zojilla and Meenmarg. However, the BRO, responsible for the maintenance of highway, has pressed into service with sophisticated machines and men on work to clear snow from Meenmarg towards Zojila pass. 
The snow has been cleared upto Zero-Point from Meenmarg, official source said. They said snow clearance operation from Sonamarg in the central Kashmir district of Ganderbal to Zojilla has not been started yet. There are more than three feet of snow accumulated at several places between Sonamarg to Zero point, including Zojilla, they added.
Traffic on the Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region remained closed for the past two weeks as about three to four feet of snow had accumulated at several places on other side of the Pir-ki-Gali.
Meanwhile, dozens of far-flung and remote villages, including near the Line of Control (LoC) in North Kashmir districts of Bandipora and Kupwara remained cut off from their respective district and tehsil headquarters due to heavy snowfall recently. 
The snow clearance operation was continuing on a war-footing to put through the road before the border area is cut off for rest of the winter months. 
According to Divisional Administration Kupwara, Heli Service is being started from Kupwara to Tangdhar and Kupwara to Machil. The Heli Service will commence from December 25, 2017, onwards from District Police Lines Kupwara.
The tickets will be available at District Panchayat Officer Kupwara and Assistant Labour Commissioner Kupwara (Nodal Officers). UNI