Stranded passengers at Kargil and Srinagar protest
Srinagar | Sunday, Nov 22 2009 IST
 

Passengers stranded due to closure of 434- km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway at Kargil and Srinagar protested demanding immediate measures to airlift them to their respective destinations.

Meanwhile, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway, lifeline to Ladakh region, has pressed into service men and machines to clear the snow on the road so that stranded vehicles and passengers on either side of the Zojila pass are allowed to move towards their respective destinations.

A passenger from Kargil Mohammad Abdullah said about two hundred passengers, including from Kashmir and Jammu, protested there demanding immediate measures to airlift them to their destinations.

''We were told yesterday by the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, that the highway will be reopened today,'' he said, adding that today they were not allowed to move towards Srinagar.

He said most of the stranded passengers had no money now left, forcing them to take loan or sell their valuables.

Other passengers said there were trucks and other vehicles stranded at Drass and Kargil because of sudden closure of the highway.

Similar situation was witnessed there as about two hundred passengers from different parts of the Ladakh region were stranded for the past one week.

The passengers also demanded their airlifting from here to Kargil or resumption of transport service for some days so that they could cross the Zojila pass to other side.

The highway was to close for six winter months from November one.

However, after consultation will different departments, including BEACON, it was decided to keep the highway open till weather permited because of dry weather conditions. However, on November 9 and 10, heavy snowfall besides slippery road condition, forced the authorities to close the highway for winter.

But the dry weather conditions encouraged the authorities to make a fresh attempt to reopen the highway so that stranded passengers and vehicles were allowed to move towards their respective destinations before more snowfall.

More than 15 to 25 feet of snowfall is experienced on the highway during winter months every year.

-- (UNI) -- 22DR25.xml

 

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