Landslide disrupts vehicular movement on Mughal Road

Rajouri, July 8: A heavy landslide at Panar bridge disrupted movement of vehicles on Mughal Road. Hundreds of vehicles are stranded on this important road that connects Poonch district with Shopian.

Officials said that landslide took place at Panar between Pir Ki Gali and Bufliyaz and heavy boulders, huge material of clay fell on road.

They said that the landslide completely blocked the Mughal Road at around 9 am and vehicles from both the sides got stranded causing severe hardships for people.

The Mughal Road Projects authority kickstarted slide clearance work soon after this landslide but the work pace caused anger among locals who were stranded there.

Locals said that only one light JCB was pushed for slide clearance by the department concerned and it was not even able to clear the slide for even one fourth of debris.

They said that no machinery has been kept on hold at this road by the department as it claims and the machinery is pushed for work from peripheral areas causing delay in timely response.

The people alleged gross negligence on the part of concerned department.

Later, heavy chain machinery was put to work by the authority concerned and slide clearance work was taken up which was still going on and road was yet to be restored when last reports were received.

Sub Divisional Magistrate Surankote, Mohammad Farooq Khan said that the slide debris was very heavy nature and JCB was not able to clear it after which chain machinery was arranged and slide clearance work is going on.

DTI Traffic Police Poonch, Ajaz Mirza said that hundreds of vehicles are still lined up on both the sides are the slide hit area.

He, however, said that traffic was stopped from Bufliyaz towards Mughal Road soon after the information of the slide was received so that no more vehicles get stuck due to landslide.

He said that manpower of traffic police is still deployed at the site and stranded vehicles will be cleard soon after the slide material is lifted.