Snowfalls shuts highway for 2nd day
The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, connecting the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country, was closed for traffic for the second consecutive day on Monday following heavy snowfall and rains.
The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, connecting the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country, was closed for traffic for the second consecutive day on Monday following heavy snowfall and rains.
The highway has been closed due to heavy snowfall at Jawahar Tunnel, Banihal and Patnitop areas besides landslides, traffic police officials said.
Over 370 vehicles, including 81 passenger vehicles, have been stranded at various points of the highway due to the closure.
Landslides have also been reported at Digdol area on the highway, they said, adding that Border Road Organisation men are working to clear the snow from the highway.
This is the second time that the 294-km-long Highway has been closed in as many days. The highway was closed for traffic on Thursday but was reopened on Friday
The Rajouri-Poonch Highway was blocked due to heavy snowfall at Dera-Ki-Gali area yesterday and it has been reopened after clearance of the snow, they said.
To provide relief and medicare facilities to the stranded passengers and on the highway, the district police and civil administration have deployed various teams right up to Patnitop in the jurisdiction of district Udhampur.
A team of revenue, police, health and consumer affairs and Public Distribution Departments has jointly carried out relief operation at Chenani, Kud and Patnitop for the assistance of the passengers today.
Health Department teams have attended to ailing persons and provided treatment to 170 passengers besides distributing free medicines.
Ambulances of the Health department along with doctors and para-medical staff with medicines have been kept at the disposal of stranded passengers to meet out any exigency.
The teams also distributed biscuits and served tea to the needy free of cost at the various camps held en route, an official spokesman said.
Directions have been issued to officers to maintain adequate stock of ration and kerosene at the vintage points to meet the requirements of the stranded persons.
