Sgr-Jmu NH remains open

Ramban, Oct 24: The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained open for two-way traffic of Light Motor Vehicles and heavy vehicles and acute traffic congestion was witnessed between Ramban and Banihal on Tuesday.

The vehicle operators and commuters complained that they remain stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic congestion at various places between Ramban and Banihal.

They said that the traffic moved at a slow pace between Ramban and Banihal.

A local passenger vehicle driver Shamasuddin said that there was huge traffic congestion since Monday morning.

He said that after completing repair works on Monday morning, heavy vehicles were permitted from both Srinagar and Jammu on the highway.

He said that the single-lane road stretches and the breakdown of a few heavy vehicles had created bottlenecks and traffic was moving on a one-way basis.

Traffic is being cleared on a one-way basis due to which vehicles coming from opposite directions have to wait for their turn to cross the road on these narrow stretches

The traffic authorities said that the movement of traffic remained slow due to on foot movement of a few nomadic families with livestock, the breakdown of 19 heavy vehicles, poor road surface conditions at Dalwass, and single-lane traffic at Cafeteria-Mehar between Nashri and Banihal tunnels of the highway.

Meanwhile, the J&K Traffic Department issued a fresh advisory for Wednesday stating that there was acute traffic congestion between Ramban and Banihal due to the single-lane traffic at Magarkote, however, subject to fair weather and road clearance, LMVs and heavy vehicles would be allowed to move on either side of the highway.

SSP Traffic Rohit Baskotra told Greater Kashmir that on Tuesday morning a heavy load carrier broke down at BDO Morh, Ramsu.

He said that the carriageway was also limited at BDO Morh, Magarkote, Ramsu and had led to traffic congestion on both sides.