Sunday 19th Apr, 2026
Only load carriers to ply from Jammu to Srinagar, Leh, Mughal roads closed
Srinagar, Feb 4: (UNI) Only load carriers, including trucks loaded with essential commodities, and oil tankers stranded on the highway, will ply on Monday from Jammu to Kashmir only while the national highway connecting Ladakh with Kashmir and historic Mughal road remained closed due to accumulation of snow.
The Srinagar-Jammu national highway was open for only one-way traffic, a traffic police official told UNI this morning. However, only Kashmir bound Heavy Motor Vehicles (load carriers), loaded with essential commodities and oil tankers will be allowed to move towards Srinagar today.
No Light Motor Vehicle (LMV), including passenger vehicles, will be allowed to ply on the highway, he said.
He said authorities cannot help as the highway gets closed due to sudden landslides and shooting stones particularly at Penthal, Batery Cheshma and other places between Ramban and Banihal stretch. However, he said the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) are working round the clock to clear the landslides and stones to again put through the highway.
Official sources said hundreds of Kashmir bound HMV were stranded for the past over a week due to closure of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway due to landslides and shooting stones, triggered by snow and rain between Banihal and Ramban.
The stranded vehicles, carrying passengers from both sides have been cleared since Saturday evening though there was disruption for few hours due to landslides at Penthal early Sunday.
However, due to closure of the highway, prices of essentials, particularly vegetables and chickens increases many fold. Majority meat shops remained closed for the past about two weeks as traders are importing sheeps and goats from other parts of the country, particularly Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Closure of the highway also lead to steep increase in airfare on Srinagar route. Governor Satya Pal Malik also raised the issue of increase in airfare with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his one-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. Mr Malik informed Mr Modi that airlines are charging Rs 24000 to RS 28000 from Delhi to Srinagar.
The historic 86-km-long Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region also remained closed due to snow accumulation. Similarly Anantnag-Kishtwar in Jammu region, also remained shut due to accumulation of snow.
The 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway linking Ladakh region with Kashmir also remained closed due to accumulation of snow, particularly between Sonamarg-Zojila-Meenmarg and Drass. There was also fresh snowfall early this morning at several places on the highway. However, the snow clearance operation will be started next month only.
Meanwhile, the Government of India (GoI) has decided to issue a fresh tender for construction of a tunnel at Zojila to make the Srinagar-Leh national highway all weather road.