Saturday 16th May, 2026
Srinagar, Mar 7: (UNI) Only one-way traffic was resumed on the national highway, the only road connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country and on Thursday vehicles will ply from Srinagar to Jammu.
Meanwhile, snow clearance operation on Srinagar-Leh national highway, which remained closed since December last year, has been started from both sides of the Zojila pass. The 86-km-long historic Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region and Anantnag-Kishtwar road remained shut since December last year.
Over 4000 vehicles, including trucks loaded with fruit, empty oil tankers and trucks besides about 1000 passenger vehicles, which remained stranded on the highway for the past few days were allowed to move towards Jammu from Qazigund and other places, official sources told UNI this morning. However, fresh Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) will be allowed from Kashmir to Jammu this afternoon subject to road conditions.
They said majority of the Kashmir bound vehicles, including trucks carrying essentials, oil and LPG tankers, which were stranded on the highway since Tuesday evening, were cleared last night.
Frequent landslides and shooting stones has become a routine on the highway forcing authorities to suspend traffic. However, 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 and put through again traffic.
Meanwhile, the BRO has started snow clearance operation from both sides of the Zojila pass on Srinagar-Leh national highway. However, residents of Drass and Kargil alleged less number of machines were this time pressed into service to clear snow on the highway.