SRINAGAR, JAN 25 : Hundreds of passengers stranded in Jammu due to highway blockade on Friday protested urging government to take immediate steps to clear the road and to help the families stranded in Jammu.
“Government should air lift stranded passengers as there are women and children who are suffering badly,” protesters said. The Srinagar Jammu highway has been closed five days back due to snowfall and landslides.
Officials said that almost 800 people are stranded due to closure of highway, the only road connectivity valley to the rest of the world. The protesting families assembled at General Bus Stand Jammu urging authorities to take to be serious about the problems faced by them.
Many stranded families claimed that market prices of commodities has skyrocketed as there is no market checking squad to put rates in order. “Some of the shopkeepers are taking undue advantage of our miseries,” they claimed.
However Ramban: An assistant sub-inspector of traffic police and two civilians were injured after being hit by stones that came hurtling down a hill along the Jammu-Srinagar highway at Anokhi fall in Ramban district yesterday evening.
The injured were identified as ASI Ajay Khokar and two civilians Mukesh Singh of Rajasthan and Muhammad Arif of Tatarsoo .
All the Injured were shifted to district hospital Ramban. The highway has been closed for the past five days.
But after slight improvement in weather yesterday , many stranded passengers crossed slide-prone areas on foot and the trio came under shooting stones near Anokhi fall.
Meanwhile Former minister and Vice President of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) A R Veeri has expressed concern over the plight of passengers stranded due to closure of Jammu-Srinagar highway from the last five days.
Veeri said that the governor administration should airlift the passengers stuck on the highway and provide living facilities to stranded in Jammu or Srinagar.
Scores of passengers are stuck or stranded due to closure of the highway from the last many days. Meanwhile, Law students have demanded deferment of exams as they say several students are stuck in Jammu due to highway closure. The PDP leader said that the university administration should look into the demands of the students and redress them. (PTK)