Traffic suspended on Jammu-Srinagar national highway due to threat of floods in Valley

Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway was suspended due to lurking threat of floods in the Valley, leaving hundreds of commuters stranded, officials said.

Srinagar-bound vehicles were stopped at various places between Ramban and Banihal along the highway around 2:00 PM as a precautionary measure in view of the emerging situation in the Valley in the aftermath of heavy rains over the past several days, the officials said.

Hundreds of vehicles heading for Srinagar were left stranded at various places on the highway and local administration are making arrangements for the accommodation of the passengers for the night.

The passengers are being provided accommodation in various government buildings, including schools, the officials said.

However, the officials said the vehicles heading for Jammu, including trucks, were allowed to move on the highway which is otherwise open for traffic.

The fleet of vehicles, carrying over 2,000 Amarnath pilgrims, also crossed the Jawahar Tunnel the gateway to the Kashmir Valley -- around noon and had reached the Pahalgam base camp, they said.

The pilgrims were left stranded in Udhampur district yesterday after landslides and shooting of stones caused disruption in the smooth flow of the traffic and left for the Valley this morning.