Thursday, December 15 2005 14:29 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Srinagar: The Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, suspended following the October 8 devastating earthquake, was resumed today (December 15, 2005) with seven passengers on board.

The peace bus, Karavan-e-Aman, resumed its operations from Srinagar to Kaman post with seven passengers on board, Regional Passport Officer S L Srinramlu told PTI here.

Although 15 passengers were cleared to travel, only seven, including five stranded passengers from Pakistan occupied Kashmir, boarded the bus, which started its operation after a gap of two months and nine days. More passengers might join at Uri or Salamabad, he said.

Ten Indian passengers, who were stranded in PoK following the October 8 earthquake, were expected to return home alongwith some fresh arrivals as well in the return journey of the bus, which runs between the two sides of the Kashmir.

However, it was not clear how the passengers from Muzaffarabad would travel to the Aman Setu, or peace bridge, as the road from Chakoti onwards was still in a bad condition.

The Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service had to be suspended as the road between Uri and Kaman post, the last point on this side of LoC, was damaged at several points due to landslides after the earthquake.

The bus service, which was flagged off by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on April 7, was started as a confidence building measure between India and Pakistan.