Saturday 20th Jun, 2026
Srinagar, Mar 6: (UNI) Hundreds of Kashmir bound trucks, carrying essentials and oil and gas tankers, remained stranded after the national highway, the only all weather road connecting valley with the rest of the country, was closed due to fresh landslides and shooting stone Tuesday evening.
Meanwhile, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has started snow clearance operation on the national highway, linking Ladakh region with Kashmir valley, which is closed since December last year due to accumulation of snow.
The 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. The roads are likely to reopen in April or May.
There were fresh landslides and shooting stones at several places between Ramban and Ramsu forcing authorities to suspend traffic on the highway on Tuesday evening, when only Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) were allowed from Jammu to Srinagar, official sources told UNI.
They said though a large number of HMVs, carrying essentials and oil and gas tankers reached Kashmir valley before the traffic was suspended, hundreds of vehicles still remained stranded on the highway.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway, are working round the clock to clear the landslides and shooting stones on the highway. Both the agencies are on job to clear the landslides on the highway, they said adding once a green signal is received only Kashmir bound stranded HMVs will be allowed to move. Decision to allow fresh traffic will be taken only after clearing stranded vehicles, they said.
Meanwhile, the BRO has started snow clearance operation from Gagangeer on Srinagar-Leh national highway, which is closed since December last year. The first task is to clear the accumulated snow upto Sonmarg, they said adding the road is likely to reopen in April.