Jammu, Sep 8: The restoration of a 250-meter-long stretch of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, which had been blocked for a week, has entered its final phase, officials said on Monday.
This restoration aims to reopen the only all-weather road connecting Kashmir to the rest of the country.
The highway has been closed since August 26 due to multiple blockades following torrential rain, flash floods, and landslides. However, it was reopened for traffic for a few hours on August 30. In total, the highway has been closed for 13 days.
“The work on restoring the washed-out stretch of highway in Udhampur has entered the final phase to make the highway trafficable. The Thard stretch is quite difficult as the highway had to be rebuilt here,” a National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) official stated.
Officials anticipate the highway will reopen for traffic by Monday night, as work is progressing rapidly. Crews have successfully blasted and removed six large rocks that were the main obstacles, and they have excavated three additional rocks to assist in clearing further hindrances, officials mentioned further.
“This has been a considerable challenge. However, the road is beginning to clear, and we expect the blocked highway to be opened for traffic soon,” officials noted.
Despite these efforts, intermittent rainfall hindered the NHAI’s work to restore traffic on the landslide-affected 250-meter Thard stretch on Sunday. While most landslides, mudslides, and debris in Ramban and Udhampur have been cleared, the Thard area remains buried under a hill following the washing away of parts of the highway.
The 270-kilometre-long highway has been closed for vehicular traffic for the seventh consecutive day due to ongoing clearance operations. Meanwhile, traffic on the inter-regional Mughal Road, which connects Poonch district in the Jammu region with Shopian district in Kashmir, is moving smoothly.
“The highway is still closed for vehicular movement from Jakheni (Udhampur) towards Srinagar and vice versa due to road blockages between Jakheni and Bali Nallah. No vehicular movement shall be allowed from Nagrota (Jammu) towards Reasi, Chenani, Patnitop, Doda, Ramban, Banihal, Srinagar, and vice versa,” a traffic police advisory said.
Additionally, commuters travelling to Katra and Udhampur towns are advised to carry photo ID cards to verify their identities, facilitating smoother movement.
The closure of highways and other inter-regional roads to Kashmir has resulted in over 4,000 vehicles becoming stranded across various locations, including Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur, Ramban, the Kashmir Valley, and Punjab. Many inter-district roads, including the Katra-Reasi road, remain closed.
The army and locals are providing stranded highway travellers, mostly truckers, with rations and food daily in various districts.
Meanwhile, the pilgrimage to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta Hills also remained suspended for the 14th consecutive day.–(PTI)
