Agencies
Srinagar, January 12:
The Kashmir valley remained cut off from the rest of the country for the second successive day on Tuesday due to closure of the 270-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway after retaining wall of a bridge in Ramban collapsed on Sunday evening.
The historic 86-km-long Mughal road and Anantnag-Kishtwar roads also remained shut since last week of December last year due to accumulation of snow while the national highway, the only road linking Kashmir valley with the rest of the country has been closed for winter months.
A traffic police official said this morning that Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the only all weather road connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, remained closed on Tuesday due to sudden damage of a bridge at Kela Morh in Ramban.
He said the National High Authority of India (NHAI) has informed it will take four more days to repair the damaged bridge.
However, traffic official said that vehicles can ply between Jammu-Doda-Kishtwar, Jammu-Ramban, Magarkote-Banihal and Banihal- Qazigund stretches on the highway.
Meanwhile, official sources said about 5000 vehicles, including those carrying essentials, and oil tankers got stranded on the highway after the bridge was damaged.
Several thousand empty trucks, oil and gas tankers are stranded on this side of the Jawahar tunnel.
People alleged that the prices of essentials, particularly fresh vegetables have increased after the highway was declared closed for five days.
The Mughal road, which is seen as alternative to Srinagar-Jammu national highway also remained closed since December last year due to accumulation of snow and slippery road conditions. The road connects Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region.
The road connecting Anantnag in south Kashmir with Kishtwar in Jammu region also remained closed due to snowfall.
The Srinagar-Leh national highway has also been declared closed for winter months by the authorities from January 1, 2021.
