From 4-Lane to Slow Lane: Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remains closed 45 days every year

Srinagar, Sep 2: On average, the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remains closed for one and a half months every year, choking Kashmir’s only surface link to the rest of the country and pushing residents into recurring economic and social crises.

The latest six-day blockade of the 250-km road, followed by a fresh suspension of traffic on Tuesday after mudslides and shooting stones between Samroli and Banihal, has once again highlighted the vulnerability of this critical artery.

Officials said the closure was enforced as a precaution due to torrential rains and the forecast of more heavy showers across the Jammu region.

According to data accessed by Greater Kashmir from the Traffic Police, the highway has been shut for a cumulative 284 days in the last seven years.

In 2019, Kashmir was cut off for 54 days, the worst in recent history, while in 2020 the figure stood at 47 days.

The year 2022 saw 41 days of disruption, while 2021 recorded 23 days.

In 2023, the highway remained closed for an alarming 58 days, while this year till September, traffic has already been suspended for 20 and a half days.

Going further back, in 2018, the highway was blocked for 41 days.

Put together, this means Kashmir is cut off from the rest of the country for an average of about 45 days or one-and-a-half months every year.

“Every year, the highway swallows up weeks of our lives. For a region that depends almost entirely on supplies from this road, the damage is immeasurable,” a senior Traffic Department official said.

Kashmir’s dependence on the highway is even starker given that the Valley meets nearly 70 percent of its food requirements from outside supplies, as per the J&K Logistics report.

Grains, edible oils, pulses, poultry, mutton, and a large chunk of vegetables are trucked in through the highway, leaving little room for self-sufficiency.

Any prolonged disruption translates directly into shortages, soaring prices, and panic buying.

The fallout is visible across Kashmir.

Nearly all commodities consumed in Kashmir – from petrol and medicines to poultry and vegetables -come via this road.

During prolonged closures, fuel stations run dry, prices soar, and perishable goods rot in stranded trucks.

“Just last week, over 70 truckloads of apples and vegetables were stuck on the highway. By the time they reached markets, the produce had shrivelled or rotted. Losses ran into crores of rupees,” said Bashir Ahmad, a fruit trader.

For transporters, the situation is equally grim.

“When trucks remain stranded for days, drivers are forced to sleep on the roadside with no food, toilets or medical help. In the case of livestock carriers, mortality is common. These are inhuman conditions,” said Ghulam Rasool, a transport

Authorities point to the four-laning of the highway as a long-term solution.

Work on the project, which began in 2011 with a five-year deadline, has faced repeated delays but is now targeted for completion by 2026.

Officials say the new alignment will cut travel distance by nearly 50 km and bypass landslide-prone stretches of Ramban and Banihal, the worst bottlenecks on the route.

Meanwhile, the partial railway link to Kashmir has raised some hope of alternative connectivity.

But the system is still far from seamless, as passengers must switch trains at Kathua to continue their journey to Jammu or Delhi, limiting its usefulness in times of highway disruption.

On Tuesday, the highway was shut once more after fresh mudslides and falling boulders blocked multiple stretches.

The Meteorological Department has forecast moderate to heavy rain across most of the Jammu division till Wednesday, warning of flash floods, landslides and shooting stones.

For passengers stranded on the highway, every closure becomes a nightmare.

“We have been stuck near Ramban for three days with children and elderly people in the vehicle. There are no toilets, no food and no place to rest. It feels like we are cut off from the world,” said Muhammad Yousuf, a resident of Anantnag travelling with his family.