Srinagar-Jammu highway reopens for traffic

Srinagar: The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was reopened for traffic today, two days after landslides at some places led to closure of the road link.
"Srinagar-Jammu National Highway has been thrown open for traffic this morning after the muck left behind by the landslides was cleared off," an official of the Traffic Control Room said.

He said one-way traffic from Jammu towards Srinagar was plying on the highway.

"No vehicle will be allowed to ply on the opposite direction on the highway," the official said.

Landslides occurred at some places between Ramban and Panthal areas along the nearly 300-km long highway on Monday due to rains, forcing the closure of the road.

The authorities pressed men and machinery into service who managed to clear off the muck from the road yesterday, making the highway motorable.

Most parts of Kashmir Valley received intermittent rains last night as well. The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg received fresh snowfall of about three inches yesterday.

A spokesman of the Meteorological Department here said the night temperature across the Valley, except Gulmarg, settled above the freezing point.
Srinagar the summer capital of the state - recorded a minimum of 2.7 degrees Celsius same as that of the previous night, the spokesman said.

He said Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway registered a low of 2.6 degrees Celsius. Kupwara town of north Kashmir registered a minimum of 0.5 degrees Celsius.

The night temperature recorded at the famous hill resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir was 0.2 degrees Celsius, the spokesman said.

He said Gulmarg, in north Kashmir, registered a low of minus 7 degrees Celsius down over three degrees from minus 3.4 degrees Celsius yesterday.

He said the resort was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir.

The mercury in Leh in frontier region of Ladakh settled at a low of minus 5.1 degrees Celsius up from minus 6.7 degrees Celsius the previous night, the spokesman said.
He said the weather is likely to remain dry for a few days after which there is possibility of another wet spell from February 26.