Civilian traffic ban on J&K Highway

April 8, 2019 Hot from the Oven Valli Sarvani No comments

After the Pulwama terror attack, several initiatives have been taken by the central government to increase the security.

The civilian traffic ban on Jammu and Kashmir highways began in the early morning hours of April 7.

Starting from yesterday, twice a week the traffic would be completely banned on this highway on every Wednesday and Sunday.

The ban will be in force from 4:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. until May 31.

The road is completely open for convoys of the security forces on these two days.

In order to enforce the ban on civilian traffic, heavy security has been utilized along the 270-km-long highway from Baramulla to Udhampur.

While the paramilitary and security forces are moving, no civilian traffic would be allowed. The central government took this decision in the wake of 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The government says that this move would facilitate the movement of military convoys without any problems.

The police and the administrative officials will take decisions in the event of any emergency for the passage of a civilian vehicle, says the government’s notification. But, the decisions are according to the provisions of movement of civilian traffic during curfews.

The move of banning civilian vehicles on Jammu and Kashmir highway is called as ‘madness’ by the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti.

She hoped the order to be revoked immediately. She said this move sounds like a ‘diktat of Martial Law’. And this is a punishment for local residents.

She added that Kashmir has turned into ‘an open-air prison’.

Sources stated that the ban on the first Sunday affected the people especially those carrying patients to hospitals and parents dropping their kids to tuition for their competitive exams.

Many people were seen pleading the security officials to allow them through the road.

Image credit: The highway dance image by Simon Matzinger is licensed under CC BY 2.0