Srinagar: The Uri National Highway in Jammu and Kashmir will remain temporarily closed on October 4 and October 11, to facilitate hill-cutting work being carried out by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), officials said on Saturday.
An order issued by the Uri Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Prince Kumar said that permission has been granted for the temporary closure of the Uri National Highway on the two Sundays to enable the execution of the hill-cutting work.
The decision has been taken on the basis of a request received from the Officer Commanding, 53 RCC (GREF), vide a letter dated September 11 along with subsequent communications regarding the requirement for temporary closure of the highway.
The SDM has advised the general public, commuters and transport operators to use the Bandi–Paranpillan–Dachi route as an alternative during the period of closure.
The order also directs that no hill-cutting work would be carried out on government office working days between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. and between 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.
During these specified timings, the executing agency has been directed to ensure that the road remains open for vehicular movement to facilitate the smooth passage of commuters.
The agency has also been instructed to take all necessary safety measures to ensure the protection of commuters and other road users during the execution of the hill-cutting work.
The order was issued on October 3 and copies have been forwarded to the Baramulla Deputy Commissioner Syeed Fakhrudin Hamid, Officer Commanding (OC) of the 53 Road Construction Company (RCC) at Mohura (under Project BEACON of the Border Roads Organisation) Colonel K.D. Singhal, and Uri Sub-Divisional Police Officer Tariq Ahmad Sofi for information and necessary coordination.
The national highway is maintained by the BRO whose men and machinery are employed 24X7 to maintain the highway.
The BRO also maintains the strategic Srinagar-Leh and Srinagar-Jammu national highway in Jammu and Kashmir.
(IANS)
