SRINAGAR: The historic Mughal Road remains closed for traffic, causing hardship for residents on both sides of the region. The road, connecting Kashmir via Shopian with the Pir Panchal region in Jammu, was shut during the winter due to heavy snow accumulation.
Residents from Shopian, Poonch, and Rajouri have urged authorities to reopen the route, citing difficulties in taking longer, more cumbersome routes. They emphasised that the road’s closure has severely impacted businesses and daily activities in villages like Shopian, Hirpora, Dubjan, Pir-Ki-Gali, Buffliaz, and Thanamadi.
Additionally, families with members residing on both sides of the road are unable to visit one another, while Kashmiri students studying at Baba Ghulam Shah University in Rajouri face challenges returning home for Eid.
Despite the Mughal Road receiving national highway status in 2016, the construction of an all-weather tunnel remains stalled. Though the road was handed over to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) last year, no significant progress has been made on the tunnel project.
Officials stated that snow clearance is in its final stages and that a decision on reopening the road will be made soon. (KNO)
