Despite rain the national highway, the only all weather road connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was through for traffic and vehicles will ply from Srinagar to Jammu on Tuesday.
Hundreds of vehicles, which were stopped at different places on this side of the Jawahar tunnel as only Jammu to Srinagar traffic was allowed for four consecutive days, left for their respective destinations today.
No vehicle will be allowed from opposite direction, a traffic police official told UNI.He said Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) had to cross Levdora, Qazigund between 0700 hrs to 1000 hrs while Heavy Motor Vehicle (HMVs) between 1200 hrs to 1800 hrs.
Intermittent landslides and shooting stones are occurring almost daily on the highway. However, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) have deployed sophisticated machines at different places to clear the landslides and put through traffic again.
However, no civilian traffic will be allowed on Wednesday when only security force convoy will ply on the highway due to ban imposed by the authorities.
Ban was imposed on civilian traffic twice in a week– Sunday and Wednesday– to allow free and secure
movement of security force convoy on the highway. The decision to ban civilian traffic movement was taken after 44 CRPF personnel were killed in a fidayeen attack at Awantipora on the highway on February 14 and there was similar unsuccessful attempt to target security force convoy at Jawahar tunnel.
However, the ban orders evoked sharp reaction and three former Chief Minsiters Dr Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti staged dharna on the highway. Traders, fruit growers and common people also protested against the ban which throws life out of gear during these days in the valley.
Traders of Srinagar Fruit and vegetable mandi have started indefinite strike from Monday against the ban.
Our fruit laden trucks remained stranded on the highway for four to six days with the result fruit gets damaged, they alleged. Similarly vegetables being imported also gets damaged after they were being stopped in Jammu and Udhampur.(UNI)
