Thaindian News

Srinagar, March 30 (IANS) The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Tuesday denied that the 475-km long Srinagar-Leh highway has been officially opened for vehicular traffic.
Denying an IANS news report, also carried by some private television news channels, the BRO said the highway has not been opened yet and that there has been “some misunderstanding”.

“All we said was that the snow clearance operation was in full swing in the Zojilla Pass area of the road. The road is likely to be thrown open for two-way traffic by April 20 and as of now, it remains closed,” an official of the BRO told IANS here.

Ganderbal Superintendent of Police Syed Imtiyaz Hussain said: “The chief engineer of the BRO visited the Zojilla Pass stretch of the Srinagar-Leh highway today (Tuesday) and inspected the snow clearance operation which is still on”.

There has been fresh snowfall in the area since Monday evening.

Speaking to IANS on phone from Sonamarg hill station which falls on the Srinagar-Leh highway, hotel owner Nazir Ahmad War said: “It has been snowing in Sonamarg, Baltal and the Zojilla pass area since yesterday (Monday) evening and it is likely that the opening of the Srinagar-Leh highway would now be delayed for some time more”.

The highway, which connects the cold desert Ladakh region with the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, remains closed to traffic for more than five months during the winter as heavy snowfall makes the road impassable in the 11,000-foot high Zojilla Pass area.