Umaisar Gull Ganie
Srinagar, Sep 10: After remaining closed for nine days due to massive landslides, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway reopened partially for traffic on Wednesday, officials said.
An official said that stranded passenger vehicles and trucks carrying essential supplies, including vegetables, poultry and meat, were allowed to move from Udhampur towards Srinagar from 10 am today.
“Light motor vehicles (LMVs) were also released from Qazigund towards Jammu,” he said, adding that heavy motor vehicle (HMV) movement is expected to be allowed from tomorrow, with fruit-laden trucks given top priority.
Over 4,000 trucks, mostly carrying fresh apples, had been stranded for days due to the blockade. Growers complained that the delay had already caused stocks to rot, hitting the fruit industry badly. They said that the long-term solution lies in the operationalisation of freight trains on the railway link between Kashmir and the rest of the country, which would minimise uncertainty during frequent highway blockades.
The official said more than 250 metres of the road at Bani Nallah in Udhampur had been washed away following incessant rains.
The highway was hit by landslides on August 26 and September 2, and only a few hours of traffic movement was restored in between. Currently, only vehicles with up to six tyres are being allowed. On the alternative road built through a marshy patch, vehicles continue to get stuck, causing slow movement. Traffic police personnel, with the help of machinery, are pulling out stranded vehicles, resulting in long queues on both sides of Thud and Bani Nallah.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) completed restoration work late Tuesday night by creating a new diversion at Bani Nallah, officials said, adding that men and machinery worked round-the-clock to make the road motorable.
SSP Traffic National Highway (Ramban), Raja Adil Hamid, said vehicles were continuously getting stuck in the affected Thud section of Udhampur at several spots and were being extracted with the help of machines and manpower. “NHAI has cleared debris and marshland to build a temporary road on a 300-metre stretch, but normal traffic will only be restored after further improvements,” he added.
From around 9:30 am until Wednesday evening, hundreds of vehicles were cleared from the affected sector.
SSP (Traffic) Rural Kashmir, Ravinder Paul Singh, said light vehicular movement has already been restored and HMVs from the Kashmir side are likely to be released towards Jammu tomorrow. “Many trucks and LPG tankers have been diverted via the Mughal Road. There is no deficit of essentials in Kashmir. As soon as we get the green signal, HMVs will be released from the Kashmir side,” he said.
The SSP advised commuters to strictly follow traffic rules and advisories to avoid further disruptions.
