One-way traffic resumes on Kashmir highway after 3 days

The Srinagar-Jammu national highway was on Sunday opened for one-way traffic after remaining closed for three days due to snowfall and landslides.

The 264-kilometre long highway, the only all-weather road link between Kashmir and rest of the country, was closed for vehicular movement on Thursday in view of landslides and snowfall.

A senior traffic official said all the stranded vehicles were allowed to move from Jammu to Srinagar. “One-way traffic will be allowed on the highway today from Jammu to Srinagar. No vehicle will be allowed to move in the opposite direction,” he said.

“Before starting a journey, travellers are advised to contact our control rooms in Jammu and Srinagar to know the latest status of the highway,” he added.

Due to the blockade of the national highway for three consecutive days, the Valley is facing the shortage of eatables including mutton and poultry products, reports said.

Meanwhile, the minimum temperature rose above the freezing point in Srinagar on Sunday after nearly two months. A MeT department official said the minimum temperature in Srinagar was 1.2 degrees Celsius as it rose above the freezing point after nearly two months.

Pahalgam hill resort in south Kashmir — which serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra — registered a minimum of minus 9.1 degrees Celsius and was the coldest recorded place in Kashmir, he said. Ski-resort Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded a low of 7.0 degrees Celsius.

The mercury in Leh town of cold desert Ladakh region settled at a low of minus 12.0 degrees Celsius while nearby Kargil town recorded a low of minus 16.4 degrees Celsius.

“Chilai-Kalan”, the 40-days of harshest period of winter in Kashmir, when chances of snowfall are the most, ended on January 30.