SRINAGAR: The 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, connecting the Kashmir valley with the rest of India, remained closed for the second day today, affecting the Amarnath pilgrimage.
The highway was closed following tension at several places on the other side of the Jawahar tunnel after clashes at Kishtwar on Friday in which two people were killed and several others injured.
A traffic police official said no vehicle was allowed from Srinagar to Jammu for the second day today. This was a precautionary measure, he said, adding traffic would be resumed once the situation improved further.
He said similarly all traffic from Jammu to the Valley has also been stopped.
Official sources said a large number of vehicles, including those carrying passengers, and trucks loaded with fruits were stranded at Qazigund, the gateway of Kashmir and other places on this side of the tunnel.
A large number of Kashmir bound passengers besides Amarnath pilgrims and trucks loaded with essentials were also stranded at various places in Jammu.
This is for the second time when the highway was closed because of protests and tension during the past one month.
Last month, people protested at several places on the highway after four people were killed and several others injured following the allegedly opened fire in Gool area of Ramban district.
The closure of the highway affected annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himlayas.
