Srinagar-Jammu NH to remain open today

Ramban, Jul 26: Subject to fair weather and road conditions, authorities have announced that traffic will be allowed from both sides on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway on Sunday.

The movement will include Amarnath Yatra convoys, passenger Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) and one-way traffic for Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) from Srinagar to Jammu.

Traffic department officials monitoring the Ramban sector told Greater Kashmir that while the highway was open till Saturday evening, vehicular movement was slow due to breakdowns of several heavy vehicles and the presence of single-lane stretches between Nashri-Dalwass and Maroog-Kishtwari Pather.

“Despite the slow pace, hundreds of LMVs and heavy vehicles managed to reach their destinations till late evening,” an official said. “The vehicles continued to cross the Nashri and Banihal tunnels, albeit at a sluggish pace.”

An official from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said that traffic movement remained particularly slow near the Chamba-Seri stretch in Ramban district.

“A culvert on the Srinagar-bound tube had caved in due to flash floods on April 20, limiting the passage to one vehicle at a time. More recently, another culvert on the Jammu-bound (down) tube got damaged, leading to the complete closure of that stretch. Traffic has since been diverted to the opposite tube,” the official said.

Although reconstruction work is underway, officials said that it would take time before normal two-way flow resumes at the stretch.

Local commuters expressed concern over delays and congestion, particularly during peak hours, due to the one-way operation and alternating flow of vehicles on the compromised road segment.

Meanwhile, the J&K Traffic Police issued a fresh advisory for Sunday, detailing the movement schedule for various categories of vehicles.

According to the advisory, Amarnath Yatra convoy, LMVs, and private cars would be allowed from both sides.

The traffic from Nagrota, Jammu, towards Srinagar would be allowed from 6 am to 12 pm and from Jakhani, Udhampur, towards Srinagar from 7 am to 1 pm.

The traffic from Qazigund, Kashmir, would be allowed towards Jammu from 11:30 am to 2 pm.

The movement of heavy vehicles from Srinagar towards Jammu would be allowed only after assessing road and weather conditions.

Additionally, to ensure the smooth passage of essential supplies during the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, the administration has directed empty diesel and petrol tankers, LPG bulk gas tankers, and empty LPG tankers up to 10 tyres to use the Mughal Road while returning to Jammu from Kashmir.

Further, the traffic advisory has requested commuters from Reasi, Katra, Udhampur, Patnitop, Doda, and Ramban to carry valid photo identification cards to ensure smooth travel after cutoff timings from Jammu or Udhampur.

Authorities have appealed to commuters to plan their journeys in line with the advisory and avoid unnecessary travel during restricted hours.