Agencies
Jammu, January 24:
The strategic Jammu-Srinagar national highway was cleared for stranded vehicles on Monday as road clearance agencies pulled out a rice-loaded truck that was stuck in mud near Panthiyal in Ramban district for nearly 30 hours, officials said.
Senior Superintendent of Police, traffic, Shabir Ahmad Malik said 130 heavy automobiles and 10 oil tankers besides dozens of light automobiles , which were stranded on the highway, were allowed to move towards their destination after completion of the road clearance operation at Panthiyal, where the carriageway is single.
However, he said no fresh vehicle was either allowed from Jammu or Srinagar for the second day on Monday.
The traffic on the highway, the sole all-weather road linking Kashmir with remainder of the country, was suspended on Sunday following multiple landslides and shooting of stones from hillocks between Chanderkote and Ramsu and snowfall in Banihal sector.
While the road clearance agencies pressed its men and machines and cleared the highway of the obstacles, a truck loaded with rice got deeply embedded within the mud at Panthiyal and could not be moved.
The operation was called off late Sunday evening and was resumed this morning with fire and emergency service joining the hassle which proved fruitful and therefore the truck was pulled out around 1 pm, the officials said, adding the normal traffic is likely to resume Tuesday.
Officals said the helicopter service to Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district was briefly resumed this morning after remaining suspended for the past two days.
Pilgrimage through the new track to the shrine was also affected because of landslides triggered by overnight rains.
The officials said the yatra to the shrine was continuing smoothly when last reports were received.
A spokesperson of the Meteorological department said Katra, the bottom camp for the pilgrims visiting Vaishno Devi shrine, recorded the highest 24.7 mm of rainfall during the past 24 hours till 8.30 am.
Bhaderwah town of Doda district in Jammu region recorded 7.4 cm snowfall during a similar period, while Jammu city recorded a rainfall of 1.6 mm, the spokesperson said.
He said the minimum temperature recorded in Jammu was 7 degrees Celsius, Katra 6 degrees Celsius, Bhaderwah 0.2 degrees Celsius and Banihal zero degrees Celsius.
