STATE TIMES NEWS
Jammu: With commuters complaining about massive jams on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway over the past fortnight, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday directed the department concerned to formulate a plan for smooth vehicular movement on vital roads, officials said.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and construction companies were also asked to maintain the highway and station adequate machinery at all vulnerable places to clear roads without any delay, they said.
The directions were passed by Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar who visited Ramban along the highway to review the arrangements for the annual Amarnath Yatra which is scheduled to commence next month.
Kumar, who also inspected progress of the ongoing four-laning works on the highway, visited Yatri Niwas Chanderkote and also inspected community kitchen sites along the highway besides inspected national highway works, an official spokesman said.
The 250-km highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country, was closed for traffic on Friday for necessary repair and maintenance work as part of the efforts to ensure smooth flow of traffic. Travellers on the highway claimed it took them more than 12 hours to complete their journey from Jammu to Srinagar owing to massive and frequent traffic jams between Nashri tunnel and Banihal. The spokesman said the divisional commissioner directed officers of NHAI to complete the maintenance work to provide safe passage to commuters. He stressed on expeditious maintenance of the highway, traffic regulation, lane enforcement and surface maintenance. The Divisional Commissioner also chaired a meeting and emphasized upon the stakeholder departments to synergize efforts to make adequate arrangements well in advance for smooth conduct of the Yatra, the spokesman said. He also asked the district administration Ramban to ensure the availability of water, power and toilets at each lodgement centre.