After remaining closed for more than two months due to heavy Snowfall in Gurez valley, Bandipora-Gurez road was thrown open for traffic on Thursday.

Lt. General Rajeev Choudhary, VSM DGBR formally opened the road by flagging-off the first caravan of vehicles. Major General Girish Kalia, VSM GOC 28 Inf Div, Brigadier Pranav Kumar Cdr 109 Inf Bde, Lt. Col. Abhishek Kumar, OC 56 RCC Beacon. ADDC Bandipora Ali Afsar Khan, SDM Gurez Dr Mudasir, DDC member Tulail Raja Aijaz, DDC member Gurez Tasleem and other senior officers of the district were present on the occasion.

Officials said the traffic on the 85 kilometer road stretch will be allowed in a controlled manner and the decision came as Border Roads Organisation (BRO) completed the Snow clearance operation in a record time this year.

He said the road remained closed for about 58 days at a stretch due to heavy accumulation of Snow in the Gurez valley, especially at Razdan top. Officials said Snow clearance started soon after the weather improved and was completed in record time.

Officials said that the first convoy of vehicles was allowed as a trial run towards their destination with proper precautionary measures, including the use of chains at certain places.

ADDC said traffic will be allowed in a restricted and regulated manner and for restricted hours till the weather improves fully and the road is not slippery.

The road remains closed owing to heavy snowfall in Gurez Valley. “The road usually opens in April but this year, the road was opened early.”

ADDC Ali Afsar Khan lauded the efforts of BRO and MED for overtime to ensure early opening of the road.

Earlier, during road closure the District Administration put in helicopter services to different locations of Gurez to ensure evacuation of patients and other emergency situations including airlifting students who had to appear in different exams besides airlifting employees.