Restriction On Civilian Traffic On Jammu-Srinagar Highway Partially Eased

Srinagar: The government partially eased the restrictions on civilian traffic movement along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway (NH-44) on Saturday. From Monday, the bi-weekly ban would be restricted only to Sunday and traffic will ply as usual on Wednesdays.

In view of peaceful polls in Baramulla and Jammu on April 11 and Srinagar and Kathua on April 18, the government reviewed the requirement of security forces and decided to relax the ban.

The restriction on civilian movement between Srinagar and Baramulla on NH-44 would now be limited only to Sunday from April 22. There would be no prohibition on civilian traffic on Wednesday.

The restrictions would continue between Srinagar and Udhampur as earlier mandated, but the situation would be reviewed periodically and modifications made if necessary.

A complete review of the highway ban would be done after the last phase of elections on May 6, to ascertain the need for continuing with the restrictions.

On April 3, the home department had notified that civilian traffic would be banned every Sunday and Wednesday on the highway till May 31 to ensure safe movement of military convoys, as the state was receiving security personnel for the Lok Sabha polls as well as anti-insurgency operations.

The ban came in the wake of the terror strike in Pulwama on February 14 and another attack on an Army convoy in Jammu’s Banihal in the last week of March.

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