Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service resumes

Srinagar: The Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, also known as Karwan-e-Aman, resumed today after remaining suspended for two weeks due to the unrest in Kashmir Valley.

While 73 passengers including 63 residents of PoK crossed from here into Muzaffarabad through ‘Aman Sethu’ (peace bridge) at the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector, 19 passengers, seven women and three children, came from PoK to meet their relatives, officials said.

Three buses, carrying 73 passengers including 29 women and 17 children, left SRTC yard Bemina here in the wee hours and reached Salamabad in Uri sector of Baramulla district at 0700 hours.

Since the buses are not allowed to cross the Aman Sethu, the passengers alighted from the vehicles and crossed the bridge by foot after completing the necessary formalities, the officials said.

Likewise, 19 passengers, all residents of PoK, who had reached the other side of the Aman Sethu by foot into this side and boarded the waiting SRTC vehicles to reach their respective destinations.

The weekly bus service was suspended following wide spread clashes across the Valley in the wake of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8.

The bus service was started in April 2005 as part of the confidence building measures between New Delhi and Islamabad to facilitate meeting between families divided by the LoC.