Srinagar
Reacting to a recent government order notifying specified days in a week for the movement of government forces on Srinagar-Jammu highway, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and NC vice president Omar Abdullah said that as there are no alternate routes the road closure will shut all the access to the valley.
In a series of tweets, Omar said that Jammu and Kashmir is not Chhattisgarh or Andhra Pradesh where there are alternate routes. He said if the road is closed everything will shut down in the valley.
“Has anyone in the administration applied their minds before planning to issue this highway closure order? J&K is not Chhattisgarh or Andhra Pradesh where there are alternate routes. Here if you close the national highway you shut down all access to the valley. This is a lifeline,” Omar wrote on Twitter.
“Another 1st for the Modi government after the 1st ever delayed assembly election now this shocker – never before in 30 years has the national highway ever been closed for civilian traffic like this. It’s a glaring admission of failure to manage the internal security of J&K,” Omar said.
“Patients will not be able to reach hospitals, students will be deprived access to schools, employees won’t be able to reach work and the list goes on & on. There has to be a better, less people unfriendly way of protecting forces using the highway.”
Omar also suggested a “safer and more comfortable” special trains to travel from Banihal to Baramulla instead of closing the main road.
“I’ve made this suggestion before & in light of today’s highway closure order I feel the need to repeat it – why can’t the forces travel between Banihal & Baramulla by special trains? Quicker, safer & more comfortable for the security forces,” Omar wrote.
Earlier, the State Government of J&K notified specified days in a week for the movement of government forces from Srinagar to Jammu. According to order, during these days, no civilian traffic would be allowed on National Highway.
The government has notified two dedicated days in a week i.e, (Sunday & Wednesday) exclusively for movement of government forces convoys and there would be a complete ban on civilian traffic on the highway during these two days from 4 AM to 5 PM. This prohibition would be from Baramulla through Srinagar, Qazigund, Jawahar-Tunnel, Banihal and Ramban till Udhampur.
The Government has further decided that in the event of any requirement for local traffic movement for any emergency or for another purpose, the local administration and police would evolve necessary procedures for this as is done during curfew days. These restrictions would remain in force till May 31 2019.
It would be recalled that the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, during his visit to Kashmir post-Pulwama attack in February 2019, had announced that no civilian traffic movement would be allowed during the convoy days.
