Ramban: Vehicular traffic would remain suspended on either side of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway for necessary repair and maintenance works on Friday, traffic authorities said Thursday.
They said vehicular traffic would remain suspended between Chenani-Nashri to Banihal-Qazigund tunnels from Friday 6 am till Saturday 6 am.
They said another traffic dry day would be observed on March 10.
The government has already issued orders in which it has said that for necessary repair and maintenance of the highway on Friday, the highway would remain shut for vehicular traffic between the Chenani-Nashri and Banihal-Qazigund tunnel segment of the highway passing through Ramban district.
An officer of the district administration said no Light Motor Vehicles (LMV) or Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) except emergency vehicles would be allowed to ply on the highway between Nashri Tunnel and Navaug Tunnel and vice-versa from Friday 6 am to Saturday 6 am.
In February, Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta had directed the concerned authorities for a “traffic holiday” for a day every week on the highway till March 15 so that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) utilises its men and machinery for making some crucial repairs and making travel on the road a pleasant experience for the commuters.
The Chief Secretary had directed the traffic authorities to enhance their personnel on all the damaged portions of the road for better traffic management.
Mehta had also directed the NHAI to open the T-5 tunnel on the Panthyal stretch of the highway by March 15, the Jaiswal Bridge by March 31, and the double-lane of Ramban Flyover and the Banihal Bye-pass by April 15.
The order is being implemented strictly by the concerned authorities for affecting and ensuring hassle-free environment of work to contractor companies engaged by the NHIA to upgrade the two-lane old highway alignments into four lanes at various places between Nashri to Banihal in Ramban district.
Meanwhile, despite drizzles, the highway remained open for two-way traffic movement on Thursday.
A Traffic Police official in Ramban said that hundreds of LMVs and HMVs crossed the Nashri-Banihal stretch of the highway for their respective destinations without any hindrance.
He said that after clearing LMVs during the day, HMVs including oil and LPG tankers carrying essential supplies for Kashmir were allowed from Jakhani, Udhampur.
HMVs had crossed Nashri-Ramban stretch and were heading towards Kashmir in a regulated manner till late Thursday evening.
The traffic authorities said that during the last 24 hours up to 5 pm on Thursday, the highway remained blocked for 2 hours and 56 minutes.
They said that the highway remained blocked for 2 hours and 21 minutes due to the closure of the Banihal-Qazigund Tunnel and for 35 minutes due to shooting stones on the Mehar-Cafeteria stretch of the highway.