Jammu & Kashmir

One way traffic allowed on JK Highway, 1400 trucks cross Jawahar Tunnel

FILE PHOTO.

Srinagar: Following six consecutive days wherein the Jammu and Kashmir highway remained shut, traffic was allowed from Jammu to Srinagar. According to a traffic official, over 1,400 vehicles has already crossed the Jawahar Tunnel to reach the Kashmir Valley.

The highway had been closed for almost a week due to continuous avalanches and landslides.

From Tuesday afternoon, trucks laden with edibles and petroleum products crossed the Tunnel to reach the valley.

“Today also, we will be allowing the stranded traffic to move on the highway to decongest the road,” said the traffic official.

Over the past six days, more than 3,000 vehicles had been left stranded along the nearly 300-kilometre long road, creating a crisis in the Valley since many were carrying essential necessities.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Chairman of the Hurriyat (M) on Monday said that the due to the closure of ‘natural routes of JK, people have been forced to depend on the ‘artificial Srinagar-Jammu highway’ which mostly remains closed due to adverse weather.

ALSO READ: Highway closure: ‘Out of money’, 45 Kashmiri students stranded in Jammu crying for help

In a tweet, Mirwaiz had said, ” Tens of thousands of Kashmiri’s are stranded in Jammu for past one week as the Srinagar Jammu highway is closed and few flights are operating on this sector. People are facing tremendous hardship as their recourses to support themselves are drying up and they are stranded. Their is no support in place for them from those who rule this place and they are left to fend for themselves.”

He added, “No additional flights or accommodation and food till they reach home is provided. It is incumbent upon those who have blocked our natural routes to outside world and made us solely dependent on this artificial route (Jammu Srinagar highway) mostly closed in winter due to weather vagaries, to take responsibility of the dire consequences that people of Kashmir have to face and at least provide them with relief and help till they reach home.”

Tensions were abound further after a video of college students of Jammu pelting stones at the stranded passengers circulated on social media. The incident took place at the Auqaf building in Jammu where the stranded passengers were staying.

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