Umaisar Gull Ganie
Srinagar, Sep 5: The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained closed for the fourth straight day on Friday due to landslides, with around four thousand vehicles stranded. However, the Mughal Road has reopened after a four-day closure.
An official said that the 270-km-long Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, considered the lifeline of Kashmir, continues to remain closed for the fourth day on Friday due to damage on the route.
He said that in the last eleven days, only one day the road was partially restored, adding that a major hurdle remains the reconstruction of a critical patch at Thard in Udhampur district.
The official said the highway in Udhampur is expected to reopen partially tomorrow as every effort is being made to reopen it. “Big boulders are lying on the patch at Thard. Now blasting is being used on the big boulders. At Thard eleven machines are being used to restore the highway as soon as possible,” he said.
A traffic official said that the Ramban-Banihal stretch has been partially restored for stranded traffic after it was hit by landslides and shooting stones. He said men and machinery are on the job to restore two-way traffic in the Ramban-Banihal sector.
According to officials, more than 3,000 vehicles, including 500 trucks carrying fruit, are stranded on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway due to landslides, road sinking, and debris accumulation.
The most critical disruption is reported between Samroli and Udhampur, where a 10-kilometre stretch of the highway has collapsed, posing significant challenges to restoration teams. Repair and clearance operations are ongoing, but due to the scale of the damage, traffic movement is yet to resume.
Vehicles are stuck in multiple locations, particularly between Qazigund and Wanpoh. Authorities confirmed that once the road is cleared, fruit-laden trucks will be given priority for movement to prevent spoilage and further economic loss.
Truck drivers have raised concerns about the lack of food, money, and basic supplies. Many drivers have been stranded for over ten days with no assistance.
The drivers near Qazigund said that their resources have been exhausted and called for immediate relief and restoration of the highway.
The Mughal Road, an alternative route connecting Poonch and Rajouri with south Kashmir, was also blocked due to landslides and falling rocks. After remaining closed for four days, it has been reopened for traffic movement, officials said. Passenger vehicles and private cars have been permitted to travel in both directions between Jammu and Srinagar via Poonch.
For heavy motor vehicles, however, movement has been restricted. Only sixty-tyre trucks carrying essential supplies are currently being allowed to ply from Poonch towards Shopian, while larger vehicles remain barred until the road condition improves.
Meanwhile, the Kishtwar-Sinthan-Anantnag road remains shut due to unstable conditions.
The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has expressed concern over the prolonged highway closure. In a statement, KCCI said that the blockage has disrupted trade, supply chains, and transport of essential goods, including fruits, vegetables, livestock, groceries, and dairy products. The group stated that the unavailability of alternative logistics systems has deepened the crisis, affecting several sectors.
The KCCI urged the government to allow the movement of heavy vehicles through the Mughal Road until the national highway is restored. It also appealed to traders to avoid increasing prices during the crisis.
The Chamber called for a long-term contingency plan to manage such recurring disruptions, pointing out the region’s dependence on a single highway. It stressed the need for a sustainable supply chain mechanism to minimise economic losses and prevent future crises due to natural disruptions.
