Srinagar: A portion of road in Ramban district has sunk amid continuous shooting stones and landslides in Ramban-Ramsoo sector to keep the Srinagar-Jammu highway closed, leaving oil tankers stranded on the thoroughfare amid mounting petrol crisis in Kashmir Valley.
“Landslide clearance operation has been going on at Mom Passi in Ramban-Ramsoo sector. Concrete has been laid to repair the portion of the road that had sunken near the Ramban town,” a traffic department official said.
Asked about possibility of the road opening anytime soon, the official said “we are hopeful of its opening very soon.” Asked about “soon”, he said, “No specific timeframe can be given. It could be this evening.”
The closure of the highway, the only surface link connecting Kashmir Valley with the rest of the world, has meant that the oil tankers which according to official are more than 350 in number, remain stranded and there is no replenishment of the petrol pumps running dry in Kashmir.