Srinagar-Jammu highway remains closed for second day

Srinagar: The 297-km long Jammu-Srinagar highway remained closed for traffic for the second consecutive day on Sunday following heavy snowfall and rains.

Over 370 vehicles, including 81 passenger vehicles, have been stranded at various points of the highway due to the closure. The highway has been closed due to heavy snowfall at Jawahar Tunnel, Banihal and Patnitop areas besides landslides, traffic police officials said.

Landslides have also been reported at Digdol area on the highway, they said, adding that Border Road Organisation men are working to clear the snow from the highway.

This is the second time that the highway has been closed in as many days. The highway was closed for traffic on Thursday but was reopened on Friday

The Rajouri-Poonch highway was also blocked due to heavy snowfall at Dera-Ki-Gali area yesterday and it has been reopened after clearance of the snow, they said.

To provide relief and medicare facilities to the stranded passengers and on the highway, the district police and civil administration have deployed various teams right up to Patnitop in the jurisdiction of district Udhampur.