Saturday 16th May, 2026
Srinagar, Mar 2: (UNI) Hundreds of Kashmir-bound vehicles, including those carrying passengers, were stranded after the Srinagar-Jammu national highway was closed again on Saturday afternoon following fresh snowfall and landslides, triggered by rain.
Meanwhile, the Srinagar-Leh national highway, connecting Ladakh region with Kashmir and historic 86-km-long Mughal road between Shopian in south Kashmir and Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region besides Anantnag-Kishtwar road remained closed since December last year due to snow.
There was fresh snowfall on both sides of the Jawahar tunnel, Shaitan Nallah and Banihal since early this morning, official sources said. However, vehicles were allowed to ply from Jammu to Srinagar and no vehicle will be allowed from opposite direction to avoid traffic jam. However, he said Kashmir bound Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) have to cross Udhampur between 0600 hrs to 1300 hrs, when Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) will be allowed to move towards Kashmir from Udhampur. No vehicle will be allowed after the deadline.
However, there were fresh landslides at several places, including Penthyal, between Ramban and Ramsu on the highway, the only all weather road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country.
Sources said hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying passengers, who had left Jammu early this morning, got stranded on the highway. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway have already pressed into service sophisticated machine and me to clear the landslides. However, continued shooting stones are hampering the road clearance operation.
Only stranded vehicles will be allowed after receiving green signal from personnel posted at different places on the highway.
Frequent closure of the highway has resulted in shortage of essential commodities, particularly fresh vegetables, meat and chicken besides petrol, diesel and LPG gas cylinders in the valley, which totally depend upon imports from other states.
The prices of local vegetables besides chicken has witnessed several fold increase in the valley, including summer capital, Srinagar.