Jammu-Srinagar highway closed

No traffic will be allowed on the Jammu-Srinagar highway on Thursday due to fresh snowfall and landslides, officials said.

Roads in Bannihal sector turned slippery following fresh snowfall, while there were some landslides in the Ramban stretch, a Traffic Department official said.

"Priority will be to ensure that no vehicle gets stranded and all vehicles parked or abandoned at various places on the highway are cleared," he added.

The decision to suspend traffic on the strategic highway was taken after the Met on Wednesday issued advisory of rain and snowfall in the state.

Assessing the weather and road condition, vehicular traffic was suspended early on Thursday.

The highway which is the lifeline of essential supplies for the landlocked Kashmir Valley, has remained closed for over a dozen days in January due to landslides and snowfall along the nearly 300-kilometre long road.

Weather was expected to improve from Friday onwards, the Met said.-IANS