SRINAGAR: One-way traffic will continue on the national highway, connecting the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country as more rain is predicted during the next three days in the region.
Meanwhile, early reopening of national highway, linking the Ladakh region with the Kashmir valley and historic Mughal road received a setback due to recent snowfall and forecast for more wet weather.
The road from Bandipora to border town of Gurez and Synthan-Kishtwar also remained closed since December last year due to accumulation of snow.
A traffic police official said that only one-way traffic will continue on the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway till further orders as the road at several places, damaged due to recent landslides, triggered by rain, was still under repair.
Today vehicles, including those carrying passengers and empty trucks and oil tankers, will ply from Srinagar to Jammu. However, no vehicle will be allowed from opposite direction, he said.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) responsible for the maintenance of the highway has pressed into service sophisticated machine and men to make the highway traffic worthy for both ways.
However, those connected with the tourist industry said allowing only one-way traffic on the highway coupled with sky rocking air fare has badly affected the tourist arrival.
Meanwhile, the BRO, responsible for the maintenance of the 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway has already launched snow clearance operation by putting into service sophisticated machines.
The BRO had earlier announced to reopen the strategically important highway a month earlier this year because of less snowfall this winter. However, snowfall last week has hampered the snow clearance operation which could delay in reopening of the highway, closed since December last year. There is a forecast for more snow and rain in the Ladakh region from today for three days.
Snow clearance operation on the historic Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region remained closed since December last year, was going on war footing following improvement in the weather after recent snowfall.
It will take more than a week to clear the snow at Pir-ki-Gali and other areas on the road.
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