JAMMU:The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the only all-weather road connecting theKashmir Valley with the rest of the country, was reopened for vehicular trafficon Wednesday after remaining blocked for 14 days due to heavy rains, flashfloods, and multiple landslides.
The 270-kmhighway had been closed since August 26, except for a brief reopening on August30, before fresh landslides forced another shutdown. Traffic officials saidvehicles began moving smoothly on Wednesday after the road was restored. According to theNational Highway Authority of India (NHAI), the most challenging obstacle was amassive landslide on September 2 near Thard-Jakheni in Udhampur district, wheredebris from a 550 x 300-metre stretch buried the highway.
“From the very nightof the incident, NHAI officials and hundreds of workers laboured tirelesslythrough rains, mud, and repeated disruptions to clear the highway. Despitechallenges, the team stayed on the ground 24×7 and restored it,” an NHAIofficial said. He added thatconstruction of a 300-metre diversion road, completed on a war-footing fromSeptember 7, enabled the resumption of traffic.
Authorities are now focused onclearing stranded vehicles, particularly trucks carrying essential supplies tothe Kashmir Valley, Doda, and Kishtwar districts. The prolongedclosure of highways severely impacted connectivity across Jammu and Kashmir.The pilgrimage to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine remained suspended for the 16thconsecutive day on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumrihighway, closed after a landslide at Rusool Mode in the Zojila sector, was alsoreopened.
The Kishtwar-Sinthan-Anantnag road and the Mughal Road linking Poonchwith Shopian are functional, though the Batote-Doda-Kishtwar road remains shutdue to landslides. Officials saidthe disruption had left more than 4,000 vehicles stranded at various locationsin Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur, Ramban, Kashmir Valley, and even Punjab. Therecent floods and landslides have caused widespread destruction, damagingnearly 12,000 kilometres of road across Jammu and Kashmir.
