Srinagar-Jammu NH open

Ramban, May 17:  The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained open for two-way traffic of Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) and one-way traffic of heavy vehicles for Jammu on Friday.

Traffic officials in Ramban said that the highway remained open but the traffic movement was slow due to large-scale on-foot movement of nomads, single-lane and poor surface conditions of road stretches at many places including Dalwass, Mehar Cafeteria, Panthyal, Magarkote, Nachlana, Gangroo, and Shalgari and between Nashri and Banihal on Friday.

They said that the LMVs were plying both ways on the highway and heavy vehicles were heading towards Jammu at a slow pace between Nashri and Banihal due to poor road conditions.

Traffic was moving at a slow pace due to the single-lane road at Dalwass, Mehar, Seri, Panthyal, Nagarkot, Hingni, Gangroo, Kishtwari Pathar, and other places.

The official also advised the commuters to follow lane discipline as overtaking would lead to congestion on the highway.

Meanwhile, traffic authorities issued a fresh advisory for Saturday stating that subject to fair weather and good road conditions, LMVs would be allowed to ply on either side of the highway.

They said that heavy vehicles would be allowed to ply towards Kashmir after assessing the traffic situation on the highway on Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, local vehicles demanded the blacktopping of damaged road stretches between Nashri and Banihal.

A local bus driver complained that due to big potholes and poor road surface conditions, vehicles were suffering damages and breakdowns frequently on the Nashri-Banihal stretch of the highway.

He complained that the concerned road maintenance agency, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and its subcontractor companies do not bother to fill or repair the damaged road stretches due to which vehicle operators were facing problems plying vehicles in these identified damaged road stretches on the highway passing through Ramban district.

Vehicle operators have appealed to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to intervene in the matter and direct the NHAI, Project Installation Unit Ramban, to repair the damaged road stretches between the Nashri and Banihal sectors of the highway.