Blocked, Broken, Battling Back
Ramban / Banihal, Apr 21: Srinagar-Jammu National Highway Monday remained shut for the second consecutive day following heavy landslides and sinking of road at various stretches, triggered by incessant rains and hailstorm that lashed Ramban district during the intervening night of April 19 and 20.
Though the road restoration work continued throughout the day on a war-footing basis yet the clearance of thousands of tonnes of debris remained a Herculean task for the agencies executing the task.
As a consequence, the crucial road link of Kashmir with the rest of the country would remain closed for vehicular movement tomorrow also.
Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Ramesh Kumar and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Bhim Sen Tuti conducted an extensive visit to the flood-affected and landslide hit areas of Ramban district to assess the damages caused by the natural calamity.
Accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Ramban Baseer-Ul-Haq Chaudhary; SSP Ramban Kulbir Singh; SSP Traffic NHW Raja Adil Hamid, the Divisional Commissioner and IGP Jammu visited several severely affected locations including Seri, Boli Bazar, Main Bazar Ramban, Higher Secondary School area and Nawi Basti.
They too interacted with affected families and took first-hand account of the ongoing rescue, relief, and restoration operations. Meanwhile, the Project Director, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Parshotam Kumar, while talking to Greater Kashmir, said that the efforts were underway to clear thousands of tonnes of debris from NH 44 at more than a dozen locations across Ramban district.
He said that the full restoration of the highway could take next five to six days as heavy landslide debris needed to be removed and properly disposed of, from various points along the highway.
Parshotam Kumar added that NHAI machinery was submerged under debris between Ramban and Maroog and new arrangements were made to restart the restoration work. He asked the travellers to stay updated on the latest developments before planning their journeys.
However, the Deputy Commissioner Ramban Baseer-Ul-Haq Chaudhary, while talking to the media, assured, “All out efforts will be made to restore at least one-way National Highway by tomorrow to ease the problems of stranded passengers.”
Meanwhile, the Traffic Police Headquarters, J&K in its latest traffic plan and advisory asked people not to undertake journeys on Srinagar Jammu National Highway on April 22 as the restoration works in flood hit areas of Ramban was still going on.
“Tomorrow vehicular movement will remain suspended on Jammu Srinagar NHW as the restoration work could not be completed today. People are advised not to undertake journeys on Jammu-Srinagar NHW (NH-44) till the restoration work is completed and the surface is traffic worthy,” the advisory said. As per the advisory, Kishtwar-Sinthan-Anantnag (NH244) road was closed due to fresh snowfall. “Decision regarding the vehicular movement on the road shall be taken after getting green signal from NHIDCL,” the advisory said. Later in the evening, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, accompanied by the Deputy Commissioner Ramban and senior civil and police officials, reached Maroog, one of the worst-hit villages. He travelled by road from Srinagar to Maroog.
An official spokesperson said that demonstrating the deep concern and commitment of his government, the Chief Minister trekked several kilometres on foot through rugged terrain to reach Kela Morh, where the cloudburst had triggered flash floods, leaving a trail of destruction.
The natural calamity has claimed the lives of three persons, while causing extensive damage to residential structures, vehicles, and critical road infrastructure.
Interacting with local residents and officials from the district administration, the Chief Minister was briefed on the scale of the damage and the progress of ongoing rescue and relief operations. CM Omar expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and assured that the government would stand shoulder to shoulder with the victims of this tragedy.
“The scale of destruction is deeply distressing. Our administration is on the ground, working tirelessly to ensure the safety, relief, and rehabilitation of every affected family. We will leave no stone unturned in standing by our people during this difficult time,” he added.
The Chief Minister, as per government spokesperson, further directed the concerned departments to expedite restoration work on the highway to resume vehicular movement at the earliest.
The district administration informed the Chief Minister that clearance operations were in full swing, with teams from the Public Works Department (PWD), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), disaster response units, police, volunteers, and the local population working round the clock to remove mudslides and boulders and restore normalcy in the affected area.
Prior to the visit of the Chief Minister, the Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar and Inspector General of Police Bhim Sen Tuti had visited the affected areas of Ramban.
The Divisional Commissioner directed the concerned departments to expedite the restoration of essential services, especially the NH-44 traffic, which was critical for expediting relief measures in the region.
After discussing the action plan with the officials of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the Divisional Commissioner instructed them to work diligently to ensure speedy restoration of the traffic movement. He further directed the district administration to provide necessary help to NHAI to facilitate the restoration work, a government spokesperson said.
Highlighting the importance of a coordinated response, Ramesh Kumar instructed all departments to expedite restoration of water supply, power supply, and other public utilities. He emphasized prompt assessment of losses, assuring the public that the teams already deputed would conduct comprehensive assessment to ensure that genuine losses are recorded and compensated accordingly.
While interacting with the Divisional Commissioner, the local residents, as per government spokesperson, acknowledged that the swift intervention helped minimize the loss of lives and property.
The Divisional Commissioner, while speaking to the media, stated that Seri, Bagna, Panote and Khari were among the most affected areas in the devastation.
“Teams on the ground are assessing the exact extent of damage to provide relief to the people. Restoration of essential services, including water and electricity is our priority. All agencies of the government were working to ease the situation and provide reprieve to the affected population,” he said, responding to media queries.
Notably, the majority of areas in the district were without electricity for the second consecutive day, adding to the woes of people. Besides, water supply was also badly affected.
With regard to queries about National Highway, the Divisional Commissioner said that crevices that appeared at different stretches were being checked for stability while its retaining walls also suffered extensive damage therefore it would take time in its restoration.
In a related aspect, a large number of Srinagar bound passengers remained stranded in Jammu due to closure of Srinagar Jammu National Highway.
Senior officials also expressed deep sympathies with the family of the deceased and reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to provide all possible support and assistance to the affected population.
As per traffic advisory, Bhaderwah-Chamba road was still closed due to snow accumulation.
In the neighbouring Doda district, a review meeting to assess the damages caused by recent heavy rains, floods and thunderstorms was convened today by the Deputy Commissioner and Chairman District Disaster Management Authority, Harvinder Singh.
A detailed review was conducted regarding key strategies and coordination required during natural calamities including the losses suffered across the district such as damage to roads, public infrastructure and essential services.
The DC identified sensitive and vulnerable areas in the district and stressed the importance of strengthening protection walls around critical buildings. He instructed NHIDCL officials to maintain proper infrastructure arrangements and directed the Fire and Emergency Services to ensure preparedness for fire incidents particularly in rural areas.
Meanwhile, heavy rains coupled with hailstorm lashed Katra and other adjoining areas in Reasi district.
