Highway reopens for HMVs on Kashmir side after 16 days

Qazigund, Sept 12: After remaining closed for nearly 16 days, the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway was reopened for heavy motor vehicles (HMVs) on the Kashmir side Thursday, ending days of anxiety and losses for truckers and fruit growers.

Officials said that by Thursday evening, around 1,200 trucks had crossed Qazigund, nearly 40 per cent of them carrying apples.

The highway had remained shut since August 26 due to landslides, flash floods, and major road damage in Udhampur and Ramban.

For truckers who had spent sleepless nights parked along the road, the reopening was nothing short of a lifeline.

“For 16 days, I slept inside my truck, eating whatever little food I could manage. My apples were rotting inside, and every day I thought of returning home empty-handed,” said Mohammad Yousuf, a driver from Baramulla, as his vehicle finally moved past the Qazigund tunnel.

The prolonged closure had pushed many into debt, with perishable fruit consignments stuck on roads at the peak of Kashmir’s apple season.

“I was worried about my family. The fruit boxes I carry belong to a grower in Pulwama. If they get damaged, I will have to bear the brunt. Today, when I finally drove out, it felt like a burden lifted from my chest,” said Gull Mohammad Bhat, another driver from Pampore.

The convoy’s slow but steady movement brought visible relief to the faces of those who had been waiting in long queues stretching from Anantnag outskirts to the Qazigund tunnel.

“It was not just about business losses; we were living on the roadside, away from our families, in the scorching sun and rain. I don’t remember such a long blockade in recent years,” said Ashiq Hussin Shah, a driver from Baramulla—(KNO)