Banihal (Jammu), Mar 1 The strategic 270-kilometre Jammu-Srinagar national highway has been reopened for light motor vehicles after road restoration work was carried out on Saturday, officials said.
The arterial road — the only all-weather road linking Kashmir to the rest of the country — was closed on Thursday evening following heavy snowfall and multiple landslides in Ramban district.
Heavy rains had triggered shooting stones, mudslides and landslides at a dozen places, including Kishtwari Pather, Moum Passi, Hingni, Panthiyal, Mehar and Dalwas, while snowfall between Qazigund and Ramsu left the road slippery.
A side of the road near Mehar has caved in, while a major landslide has blocked one tube of the Kunfer-Peerah tunnel.
The road repair was hampered by continuous rains on Friday, officials said.
They said restoration of the 66-km Banihal-Nashri stretch was intensified on Saturday morning after the weather conditions improved.
“Light motor vehicles carrying passengers are allowed from Jammu towards Srinagar, and from the Valley towards Jammu,” a traffic department spokesperson said after the road was reopened.
He cautioned the commuters to follow lane discipline and avoid overtaking, which causes congestion.
“The passengers are advised to take the highway only during day-time and avoid unnecessary halting between Ramban and Banihal since there are apprehensions of landslides and shooting stones. The heavy motor vehicles shall be allowed later, after a thorough assessment of the condition of the road,” the spokesperson said.
Ramban deputy commissioner Baseer-ul-Haq Chaudhary said there are at least 16 locations along the 66-km road stretch that were rendered vulnerable by the rains.
“The road has been cleared in almost all the places, except in Mehar, where the width has shrunk after the sinking of the side portion. This spot is a challenge. The concerned agency will address this in the next two weeks,” he told reporters in Banihal.
Chaudhary, along with Ramban Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kuldeep Singh and SSP (national highway) Rohit Raskotra, reviewed the vulnerable locations.
Chaudhary said the landslide at Peerah will not hamper the traffic, which has been diverted through the other tube.
“All the stranded vehicles have been cleared,” he said, advising commuters to follow the traffic advisories before taking the highway.
