Ladakh remains cut off from Kashmir, Mughal road also shut for 7th day
Srinagar, Dec 14 (UNI) The Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh remained cut off from the Kashmir valley for the seventh day on Monday following closure of the 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway due to accumulation of snow and slippery road conditions.
The historic 86-km-long Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region also remained shut for the seventh day on Monday due to slippery road conditions and accumulation of snow though weather has witnessed improvement.
Meanwhile, despite intermittent landslides, one-way traffic continued on 270 km-long national highway, the only all weather road connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) are clearing the landslides and restoring traffic after brief disruption. Today traffic will ply from Srinagar to Jammu.
A massive snow clearance operation was going on from both sides of the Zojila pass to put through the national highway, the only road linking UT of Ladakh with Kashmir, a traffic police official told UNI.
He said traffic on the highway was suspended on Tuesday due to two to eight feet of snowfall between Sonamarg, Zojila, Zero point, India Gate, Meenamarg and Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia. The road has also become very slippery due to minus 10 degree to 17 degree minimum temperature, he said.
However, despite below freezing temperature, the Border Roads Organisation, responsible for the maintenance of the highway, has pressed into service sophisticated machines and men to clear the snow. There is also threat of avalanches in Kargil district of the UT during the next 24 hours.
The authorities had announced to keep the highway open till end of this month to store more essentials in Ladakh, which remained cut off from rest of the country due to heavy snowfall.
Meanwhile, the authorities operated Pawan Hans helicopter service between Srinagar and Kargil for the stranded passengers.
Snow on Mughal road, particularly between both sides of the Pir-ki-Gali, remained frozen due to below freezing temperature during the night. Snow clearance operation has been launched but traffic could not be restored so far, he said. The road, which is seen as alternative to Srinagar-Jammu highway, remains shut during winter months due to heavy snowfall.