Travel on Srinagar-Jammu highway these days has become a horrendous experience. A journey which Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) used to complete within seven to eight hours now takes at least 16 hours as the government has banned night travel on the 300-km highway with a “hope that the tactic would help break the continuous shutdown in Kashmir.”
The 2.5 kilometre Jawahar Tunnel in Banihal, which connects Jammu region with Kashmir is closed by security personnel in the evening and no vehicles are allowed from 5 PM till 9 AM.
Policemen and paramilitary CRPF men who are managing this strategic highway claim that they have been asked by their higher ups to keep the tunnel closed from evening till morning. “We don’t allow the traffic to ply during the night. We have heard that people on the other side of the tunnel are demanding Azadi and have been observing shutdown for the past more than 80 days. It seems government believes that by blocking the highway they can break the strike in Kashmir. We are following the orders,” said a traffic policeman, who was trying to clear the jam near Ramsu, nearly 135 kilometers from here.
The tunnel remaining closed for 16 hours has turned the highway into a “battlefield” with everyone trying to look for space to sneak through.
Hundreds of trucks are stranded on both the sides of the tunnel each day as they are unable to cross within the deadline. “When we come from Jammu we are stopped near Batote. We are not allowed to move till 9 AM. We find it very hard to reach the Jawahar tunnel before 5 PM and have to remain stranded for one more night. A truck takes 3 to 4 days to travel from Srinagar-Jammu and vice-versa,” said a truck driver Jitu, who was stuck in a traffic jam near Nashri.
People, who use their personal vehicles or hire a Sumo or Tavera have to leave Jammu at around 4 AM to ensure that they cross Jawahar tunnel by 5 PM. If they fail to reach there on time they are forced to spend a night under open sky in their vehicles.
One can see hundreds of fruit-laden Jammu-bound trucks stranded from Qazigund to Jawahar tunnel. These trucks take at least one day and a night to cross the tunnel. The truck drivers and travelers are seen waiting in long queues. Traffic moves at snail’s pace making the journey terrible.
“It seems government is punishing Kashmiris by imposing restrictions on the movement of the people on the highway,” said a traveler.
One can find a few traffic policemen and paramilitary CRPF men regulating the traffic near Ramban, Ramsu and Banihal but once the person crosses the tunnel towards Kashmir one doesn’t find any traffic cop regulating traffic. The officials of the Excise and Taxation department are seen standing on the road with their books to collect the toll tax near Lower Munda. “Our office is inside but due to the traffic mess we have been forced to stand on middle of the road to collect the toll tax,” said an official of the Excise and Taxation department.
On Kashmir side of the tunnel paramilitary CRPF men are seen carrying bamboo sticks, which they usually use to clear the way for their vehicles and flex their muscles on the poor drivers, but once a person crosses Banihal into Jammu division, the CRPF men are seen without sticks and they usually clear the traffic snarls without beating anyone.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Rajesh Yadav, said, “CRPF is not managing the highway it’s just guarding it.”
Asked why tunnel remains closed for long hours, he said, “The decision to keep the tunnel closed has been taken at the highest level, we are just implementing the orders.”
He said, “It’s not common people only who are facing the brunt, our jawans are also at the receiving end. We don’t run our convoys daily these days.”
Despite repeated attempts, IG Traffic Biplav Kunmar and SSP highway Sanjay Kotwal couldn’t be contacted for their comments.