Saturday 20th Jun, 2026
Srinagar, May 11: About 8000 vehicles, including those carrying essentials and passengers, are stranded at different places on Srinagar-Jammu national highway which remained closed for the third day on Saturday due to landslides and continued shooting stones, official sources said.
The national highway, the only all weather road linking Kashmir valley with the rest of the country remained closed for the third day today, sources said. However, they said, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway cleared the landslides and stranded vehicles were allowed to move towards Kashmir valley last evening. But the traffic was again suspended after fresh landslides at Digdol, they said adding a driver who was operating a machine to clear the landslides was injured after hit by a stone.
Shooting stones continued today also at Digdol and other places in Ramban area badly hampering landslide clearance operation, sources told UNI today. There is also forecast for rain during the next four days on highway which could trigger more landslides and shooting stones, they added.
There were about 3000 vehicles stranded on the highway till yesterday morning, they said adding the number has increased to 8000, including trucks carrying essentials and oil tankers besides passengers, are stranded at different places on the Kashmir highway . Fresh vegetables and fruit had been damaged and chickens had died due to closure of the highway, they said.
Thousands of passengers, including woman and children, remained stranded on the highway. They alleged that the administration is missing as there is no arrangement for them.
They said only stranded vehicles will be allowed to move as and when green signal is received from traffic police officials and BRO and NHAI
Meanwhile, prices of essentials, particularly fresh vegetable and fruit besides chicken and meat, has witnessed sharp increase during the past few weeks due to frequent closure of the highway due to landslides and ban imposed by the authorities on movement of civilian traffic twice in a week on Sunday and Wednesday to allow free movement of security force convoy. However, authorities have now lifted on Wednesday from next week but will continue on Sundays. Ban was imposed on civilian traffic after 44 CRPF personnel were killed in a fidayeen attack in February and similar unsuccessful attempt was made by militants near Jawahar tunnel.
The fruit growers association Sopore, in north Kashmir alleged that they have suffered a loss of over Rs 500 crores due to frequent closure of the highway for one or another reason. A truck carrying apple from here taken 10 to 15 days to reach Delhi and other mandies against just four to five days before the highway trouble. We were assured that 86-km-long historic Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region would be made available for few days exclusively for fruit trucks which proved a hoax, alleged Mohammad Yousuf one the officer bearer of Sopore Mandi.
UNI