Srinagar, Feb 15: The vehicular traffic along the 270-kilometer Srinagar-Jammu highway remained disrupted for the third consecutive day due to shooting stones at multiple places. Blockage left hundreds of vehicles stranded along both sides of the highway, officials said.
SSP Ramban and SSP NH44, Mohita Sharma said the highway remained blocked due to unrelenting shooting stones at the Mehar and Cafeteria areas of Ramban.“People are advised not to travel on NH without confirming the status from TCU,” she said.
A senior official at Traffic Department told Rising Kashmir that traffic was suspended on Wednesday morning and around 3500 vehicles are stranded on the highway from both sides.
“We are diverting passenger vehicles from adjacent roads in Karol and Ramban. Due to the slow pace of traffic, there are traffic jams everywhere on the highway. Initially, passenger vehicles are allowed and will be followed by essential service vehicles. So far 2500 stranded vehicles have been cleared,” he said.
“After the stranded vehicles will be cleared, then fresh traffic would be allowed. If the weather remains dry, the traffic will be cleared till 11 am on Thursday,” he said.
Kashmir-bound trucks have been stopped at Qazigund junction, while stranded vehicles from Jammu have been stopped at Ramban, Udampur, and other areas to avoid further congestion on the highway.
“Efforts are on to restore the traffic on the highway. It would take us further time to make the road temporarily motorable,” the official said.
Rising Kashmir Friday received several distressed calls from the Kashmir-bound vehicle owners stranded in Jammu for the past 2 days and urged the administration to clear the road on a priority basis.
Aadil Nabi, a bus driver of Handwara, stranded in Jammu for the past six days told Rising Kashmir that it is unfortunate that none of the administration provided them any facility.
“We urged authorities to restore the highway so that we can reach our destinations safely. Every year government assures that basic facilities would be provided to stranded truckers and bus drivers but it is not implemented on the ground,” he said.
While some passengers stated that prices of essential items have increased along the highway.
Tariq Ahmad, a local from Anantnag alleged shopkeepers along the highway including Ramban, and Ramsoo has almost doubled the rates of essential items. They are exploiting stranded passengers and there is none among the administration to check this menace, he said.
For the past two weeks, the shooting stones are continuously disrupting traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.
