ONE-WAY TRAFFIC RESTORED ON JAMMU-SRINAGAR NH

BANIHAL/JAMMU:HUNDREDS of stranded vehicles, mostly trucks carrying essential supplies, were allowed to move towards Kashmir on Sunday, a day after heavy snowfall disrupted traffic on the vital 270-km Jammusrinagar national highway, officials said.

No fresh vehicle was allowed on the highway from either Jammu or Srinagar Sunday morning to ensure clearance of the trucks which were left stranded between Banihal and Ramban stretch since Saturday following over one feet of snow around the Jawahar Tunnel area, the officials said.the authorities stopped traffic on the highway – the only all weather road connectivity linking Kashmir with the rest of the country - around 11 am Saturday due to slippery conditions but later managed to clear over 500 passenger vehicles heading for Kashmir from Jammu.

The traffic on the highway is restricted to one-way for smooth movement of commuters and alternately plies from the twin capital cities. The high altitude areas along the highway including Jawahar Tunnel – the gateway to Kashmir – and Banihal experienced another brief spell of snowfall early Sunday morning but the improvement in the weather allowed the authorities to undertake the snow clearance operation to facilitate smooth movement of stranded trucks.