Srinagar, Dec 16 (KNS): After remaining closed for four-days due to snowfall and landslides, the Srinagar-Jammu national highway was reopened for traffic on Monday.
A Traffic police official told KNS that the highway was thrown open at forenoon after the muck left behind by the landslides and snowfall was cleared off. Some 4000 vehicles which were stranded on the highway were allowed to move forward after the reopening of the highway, he said and added no fresh traffic either from Srinagar or Jammu will be allowed to ply till stranded vehicles are cleared.
The authorities had pressed men and machinery into service to clear off the muck, boulders and snow from the road. On Sunday evening a deputy inspector general (DIG) of paramilitary CRPF and his driver were killed and another critically injured when their vehicle was caught in a landslide near Khooni Nallah in Ramban district.
The slain DIG, north Kashmir, Shalinder Kumar Singh was moving along with his escort towards the valley, officials said.
Meanwhile, with significant improvement in weather, flights operated normally for the second day at Srinagar airport. The flights operation at the airport was severely affected for nine-days from December 7 to December 14 due to intense foggy conditions and snowfall.
The MeT office has predicted another spell of wet weather on December 20 and 21. (KNS)