Srinagar, December 8
Thousands are stranded as the Kashmir valley continues to be cut off from the rest of the country for the fourth day today after the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu road closed due to avalanches.

However, all flights operated. A police official said the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway, has been pressed into service.

Fresh rain had triggered more landslides in the Penthal area and efforts were on to clear these, he said, adding no more vehicles were allowed to leave Srinagar or Jammu this morning.

He said the stranded vehicles would be allowed to move once the landslides were removed.

Official sources said thousands of passengers, including tourists from Maharashtra and other states, besides labourers and other workers from Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab, Nepal and Uttar Pradesh were stranded at different places on the highway.

The District Administration at Anantnag has made arrangements for the stranded passengers in different schools.

Officials said that stranded passengers were being provided with food and other essentials at Qazigund.

The Tourism Department has decided to bring tourists back to Srinagar from Qazigund till the road is reopened.

“We had to made our own arrangements for stay and food as the authorities failed to came to our rescue, Maharashtra tourists said adding that they are now left with no money”. — UNI

Jammu, December 8
A social activist and Member of the Lok Sabha, Ms Priya Dutt, today demanded ''strong measures'' to fight corruption, saying it has become a widespread evil in the country.

Ms Dutt said: ''I have a very strong opinion against corruption and there should be strong punishment measures to tackle this evil.'' The young politician, who was on her maiden visit here after her elections to the Lok Sabha, advocated for equally strong punishment for both - ''who gives and who accepts (illegal gratification)''.

''Corruption is a two-way process, so both the parties indulging in it should be held responsible equally,'' she added.

Ms Dutt, however, called for the young generation to come forward to weed out corruption from the society.

Citing the verses from an old Hindi film song 'Chhoro kal ki baatain, kal ki baat purani...'' she in her message to youths said, ''We should look forward to better future.''

Recalling her earlier visits to Jammu and Kashmir, daughter of yesteryear's bollywood star and former union minister late Sunil Dutt, Ms Dutt was all praises for the state.

''I remember my visits to Kashmir with my father... Jammu and Kashmir is heaven... people are very good here,'' she said.

Ms Dutt avoided questions related to her actor brother Sanjay Dutt.

Immediately, after arriving here she garlanded the statue of Mahatama Gandhi at Satwari Chowk. She also paid obeisance at famous Raghunath Mandir in the heart of the city, besides visiting St Mary's church and a gurdwara at Nanak Nagar. — UNI