Srinagar-Jammu National Highway open for traffic

Ramban, Nov 23: Despite light rains at vulnerable places between the Chenani and Nashri sectors, the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained open for two-way traffic on Saturday.

Traffic authorities late Saturday evening said that the highway remained open but the traffic movement remained slow due to the breakdown of few heavy vehicles and due to the single-lane road stretch at Dalwass, Mehar Cafeteria, and between Maroog and Kishtwar Pathar areas of Ramban.

Senior Superintendent Traffic Police, National Highway, Ramban, Rohit Baskotra told Greater Kashmir that light rain was lashing the Chenani and Nashri sectors of the highway but traffic was plying on both sides although at a slow pace at a few places.

He said that in connection with winter preparedness, a meeting was held in which officials and officers of NHAI and district Police participated.

The concerned road maintenance agency National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has asked to deploy additional men and machinery at vulnerable locations to clear the road immediately in case of road blockade during winter or rain.

Besides this, additional Police and Traffic Police personnel were deployed to monitor the traffic flow.

SSP Baskotra advised commuters and drivers to follow traffic advisories issued from time to time by the Traffic Police Headquarters in Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, the Traffic Department issued a fresh advisory for Sunday stating that subject to fair weather and good road conditions, Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) and heavy vehicles would be allowed to ply on both sides of the highway.

The Traffic Police once again reiterated in the advisory issued to the passenger LMV operators not to undertake journeys on the highway during the night due to apprehension of shooting stones between the Ramban and Banihal sectors.

It said that for safe and secure journeys, prefer journeys on the highway during the daytime only.

Due to the ongoing highway expansion and construction works, incidents of landslides and shootings had remained a routine affair in the past and the threat of triggering stones looms at several places where earth-cutting was done by the construction companies of NHAI for road widening works.