Traffic suspended on section of Jammu-Srinagar highway for aircraft trial at Bijbehara

Srinagar: Traffic has been suspended on the Wanpoh-Sangam stretch of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway in view of an aircraft trial run on the emergency landing strip at Bijbehara later on Monday, officials said.

The work on the 3.5-kilometre emergency landing strip was started in 2020 and completed late last year.

Officials said that security has been heightened along the emergency landing strip with additional personnel deployed to ensure that people do not stray close to the area.

"Traffic on the highway has been diverted from Wanpoh to Sangam to bypass the Bijbehara emergency landing strip where trial landing and take off of an aircraft is scheduled later in the day," an official said.

The strip can be used by fighter planes and other aircraft in case of war or natural disasters that require massive mobilisation of resources.