Srinagar: Two days after the Government of India banned the traffic movement on Kashmir highway for two specified days in a week, the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Baseer Ahmad Khan said that emergency vehicles including ambulances, school buses and other essential services will be allowed on both the restricted days.

Addressing a press conference in Srinagar late Friday evening, Khan along with IGP Kashmir, SP Pani said that a meeting was put on force earlier with the top police officers and district development commissioners regarding the issue. During the meeting, it was decided that all the emergency vehicles would be allowed on the highway.

He said that in order to make the civilian traffic movement smooth and comfortable, the government has decided to ban the civilian movement for two days in a week. He said authorities have found it better to put restrictions on two days so that traffic plies normally on other days.

There would be no restrictions on vehicles of “medical emergencies, schools, colleges, government employees, and people running business establishments, those who have orchards near the highway, tourist vehicles, and those who have to travel by air”, Khan said.

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.