Srinagar: Plying of vehicles on the Jammu and Srinagar National Highway near Mahar has come to a grinding halt for the past four days since Friday. A long line of trucks carrying perishable goods and essential items, cars, SUVs, and other passenger vehicles heading towards the Valley has been stuck in the snarl-ups.
The movement of vehicular traffic on this stretch of the highway has been disrupted due to recurring incidents of shooting stones at a Cafeteria near Mahar. Scores of trucks, cars, SUVs and other passenger vehicles have been stranded in the Ramban and Banihal sectors. Kilos of apples being transported via trucks stranded in this traffic are deteriorating due to the delay in reaching their destinations and a non-optimum atmosphere.
Read: Srinagar-Jammu highway closed for maintenance
The expansion work on the Jammu and Srinagar Highway has worsened the situation further, said sources. Schoolchildren, commuters, and motorists have been bearing the brunt. School-going kids have been covering several kilometres on foot while on way to school.
Senior Superintendent of Police, traffic, Shabbir Ahmed, said, "Shooting stones is the big problem here. When it will stop, we don't know. Efforts are on to clear congestion on the highway. Trucks carrying perishable items are being released on a priority basis. Besides, we have asked commuters and motorists to adhere to traffic advisory while taking the Jammu and Srinagar National Highway. Road users have been told to use the highway between 7:00 am to 12:00 pm so that they can reach their destination on time."
