Sgr-Jmu NH partially restored for traffic

Ramban, Feb 2: The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was partially restored for stranded traffic after the concerned road maintenance agency National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) cleared the accumulated snow, slush and stones at several places on Friday afternoon.

The road maintenance agency had prepared a single-way road in the Sherbibi area between Nashri and Banihal by this afternoon.

Officials said, “The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was partially restored at Kishtwari Pattar and Sherbibi where a portion of the road had caved in following rain and snow on Thursday morning. Stranded traffic is being cleared on priority.”

Traffic authorities said that the highway was partially restored in the Sherbibi area of Banihal (single-way) and vehicles were plying on both sides in a regulated manner.

The officials monitoring the regulation of traffic at the Traffic Control Units of Ramban and Udhampur this evening said, “After clearing stranded traffic between Nashri and Banihal, passenger vehicles stopped at Qazigund and Udhampur were also allowed to proceed towards their respective destinations this afternoon.”

Traffic officials regulating traffic in the Nachlana and Sherbibi area said, “The highway was open for stranded traffic, however, the movement of traffic is slow due to the single-lane way at Kishtwari Pattar and Sherbibi. The vehicles are being cleared on a one-way basis at Sherbibi, between Ramban and Banihal.”

On Thursday morning, vehicular traffic on both sides was suspended amid snowfall in the Banihal-Qazigund sector and heavy rains in the Banihal-Udhampur sections triggering mudslides and shooting stones at several places.

A portion of the road also caved in and created a bottleneck at the Kishtwari Pattar and Sherbibi area of Banihal.

After the improvement in the weather on Friday morning, NHAI pressed its men and machinery to clear the snow, mudslides and stones from the road besides sprinkling salt for frost-melting between Ramsu and Banihal.

Finally, traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was partially restored for stranded traffic late Friday afternoon.