The Hindu : National : Srinagar-Jammu highway closed for sixth day

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Sunday, Feb 13, 2005

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National

Srinagar-Jammu highway closed for sixth day

By Shujaat Bukhari

Soldiers being evacuated by an Indian Air Force IL-76 from Udhampur airport on Saturday following heavy snowfall on the Jammu-Srinagar highway. — AP

SRINAGAR, FEB. 12. The Srinagar-Jammu highway remained closed for the sixth consecutive day as heavy rain in the plains and snowfall in the upper reaches continued in the Kashmir Valley.

The Inspector General of Police (Traffic), P. L. Gupta, told The Hindu that the 300-km of the highway in the Srinagar-Banihal stretch was cleared after round-the-clock operations and over 350 stranded vehicles were allowed to move to Srinagar.

"These were mostly Jammu-bound passengers but since the road is closed at various places they were advised to move back."

A high-level team, including the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, B. R. Sharma, the IGP Jammu, S. P. Vaid, and the Director Information, F. A. Reenzoo, went by the MI-17 helicopter to Chanderkot, the site of the Baglihar power project to supervise the operations and airlift some of the passengers.

But they got stranded there as the helicopter could not take off on their return trip. Mr. Reenzoo said over phone from Chandrekot that there was nobody stranded on the highway now. Sixteen landslips had hampered the operation, he said.

A red alert has been sounded by the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment and people have been asked to keep off areas that are vulnerable to landslips.

The power supply to the Kashmir Valley has snapped as the main 132 Kv transmission line developed a snag in Banihal due to the heavy snow. "This has come as a serious setback to our efforts to restore supply after four towers were washed away by avalanches in the last two days," said the Power Development Department Secretary, Basharat Ahmed Dhar.

More than 300 MW of power was available in the Valley but "it has become difficult to maintain the supply."

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