Heavy rains trigger mud, landslide on Srinagar-Jammu NH

Ramban, Aug 11: Heavy rain that lashed the Udhampur–Banihal sector of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway triggered massive mud and landslides on the Mehar-Cafeteria stretch and blocked the highway for four-and-a-half hours on Sunday.

The official said heavy rains that lashed the Udhampur-Banihal sector of the highway triggered mud and landslides on the Mehar-Cafeteria stretch at two different locations in the Seri area of Ramban on Sunday morning.

They said that due to the blockade, traffic from both sides of the highway was stopped at different locations.

Officials said that the men and machinery of the concerned road maintenance agency – the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) were immediately summoned to remove the mud and landslides from the road in the Mehar and Seri area of Ramban.

They said that it took four-and-a-half hours for the NHAI to clear the mud and landslides from the road and traffic was restored on the highway around noon.

Senior Superintendent of Traffic Police, National Highway, Ramban, Rohit Baskotra told Greater Kashmir that due to heavy rains, mud and landslide occurred in the Mehar area of Ramban on Sunday morning following which vehicular movement on both sides of the highway was stopped at safer locations on the highway.

He said that during the road blockade at Mehar, private cars and passenger Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) were diverted through Ramban old alignment road via Maitra to bypass the landslide-prone Mehar-Cafeteria stretch.

Baskotra said that the mud and landslides were removed and traffic was restored on the highway after four-and-a-half hours around noon.

He said that the stranded vehicles were permitted to move to their respective destinations on priority after that scheduled traffic resumed on the highway.

Officials of the Traffic Control Unit (TCU) Ramban said that the highway is now open for two-way traffic for passenger LMVs and one-way traffic for heavy vehicles.

They said that heavy vehicles released from Jakhani, Udhampur, on Sunday afternoon were moving towards Kashmir in a regulated manner.

However, in view of the Meteorological Department predicting more rains, traffic authorities have advised passengers and vehicle operators not to travel on the highway without confirming the road conditions from the TCUs of Srinagar, Ramban, Udhampur, and Jammu.