Srinagar: The strategic 434-kilometre Srinagar-Leh highway, the only road connecting the Ladakh region with the rest of Jammu and Kashmir, reopened on Friday.
Official sources said that traffic was allowed from Srinagar to Leh after remaining closed for around 80 days and was plying normally when this report was filed.
The decision to open the highway was taken at a meeting co-chaired by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole and Divisional Commissioner Ladakh, Saugat Biswas earlier this week.
The meeting had decided that only light vehicles shall ply initially on the highway on the pattern of odd-even basis.
The one-way traffic from Srinagar to Leh shall ply on odd days while from Leh to Srinagar traffic will ply on even days. From next week there shall be no movement of transport on Fridays.
The cut-off time for vehicles from the Kashmir side shall remain at 6 am at Sonmarg, Ganderbal side, and 8:30 am from Kargil Side at Meenamarg.
The meeting had also decided to establish health check-up centers, the establishment of the joint control room, traffic check posts, positioning of recovery vans, operation of weight bridges to restrict overloading of vehicles besides allow movement of only anti-skid chained vehicles.
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