Jawahar Tunnel restrictions cause traffic snarls on NH-44

The traffic restriction for every Kashmir-bound vehicle to pass through Jawahar Tunnel before 6 pm and after 9 am has been the cause of regular traffic snarls on the NH-44 here for past one month. This has compounded the woes of serious patients, examinees, office-goers and students going to Ramban district headquarters, besides incurring losses to the local minibus owners.
The restriction was imposed on August 19 following the growing attacks on the Srinagar-bound vehicles by miscreants in the Valley.
The vehicles carrying commuters, especially employees and students, going to Ramban district headquarters from Batote and Banihal in the morning have been taking more than double time thereby making them reach their destinations late.
The problem is seen only in the morning as drivers of all those Kashmir-bound vehicles, including private passenger ones, which could not cross Banihal town by 4 pm, park their vehicles on the highway at different places to wait till next morning.
As these overnight stranded vehicles occupy half of the existing double-lane NH-44, especially at Batote, Nashri, Peeda, Chanderkot, Ramban, Khooni Nullah, Banihal and Shaitani Nullah, it leaves only half of the road for the two-way traffic to pass in the morning.
“Normally before August 19 it used to take me hardly one and a half hours to reach my office at Ramban from Batote( 30 km), but after that it has been taking me three hours and it took me four hours today,” rued Mohammed Tahir of the District Information Centre.
His sister Asma, a third semester student at Degree College, Ramban, said to reach her college in time she has to start at 7 or 7.30 am from Batote along with his brother. “But today I reached college at 11.30 am,” she said.
Students from Batote and Banihal areas appearing in BA/BSc Part I, II and III bi-annual exams in Ramban have been more panicky.