KL Report
SRINAGAR
J&K Government Monday said it would declare the Mughal Road as the alternate national highway to the traditional Jammu Srinagar highway and that the state authorities are already in talks with Center over the issue.
Talking to KNS, R&B Minister Syed Altaf Bukhari said the government is talking all necessary measures to make the Mughal Road an all weather highway so that the contact of the Kashmir region would not remain cut-off from rest of the world.
The minister said the issue of the landslides is creating hurdles in the smooth vehicular movement but the government has placed men and machinery at various spots to tackle with it.
“A tunnel is needed to be constructed at Peer Ki Gali that could put lid over the problems of landslides on the highway. Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed already had a meeting with the union Transport Minister over making Mughal Road an all weather and alternate national highway. The government in very near future is going to officially inaugurate the road for the vehicular movement could start sans any hassle. We want this road operational for both private as well as the commercial transport in a very near future,” Bukhari said.
The reports had earlier informed that after re-opening of Mughal Road which connects Kashmir with Jammu region through Shopian and Poonch districts, only three vehicles passed towards Srinagar and road was closed following landslides.
The road was thrown open for one-way traffic for all types of vehicles and was closed soon after three vehicles crossed. The arterial road communication is closed in the winter due to heavy snowfall and used to get reopened in the last week of May every year but this year Government tried to re-open it in the first week of May.
Reports said that there is snow on both the sides of the road near Peer-ki-Gali and there is threat of slides on Poonch side near Peerki-Gali and snow slides on Shopian side. The road is still unsafe for the traffic
