Sgr-Jmu NH blocked, Mughal Road traffic slow

Ramban/Rajouri/Jammu, Sep 7: Jammu and Kashmir continued to reel under disrupted connectivity on Sunday. The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained blocked for the sixth consecutive day between Udhampur and Chenani, the Mughal Road and the Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch National Highway witnessed severe congestion, and the Vaishno Devi Yatra remained suspended for the 13th day.

However, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) restored the Basohli-Bani road in Kathua, providing limited relief to stranded commuters and locals.

SGR-JMU NH BLOCKED FOR 6TH CONSECUTIVE DAY

The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained blocked on Sunday for the sixth consecutive day between Udhampur and Chenani sector due to landslides and sinking of road stretches at Tharad village, officials said.

The road has suffered extensive damage due to massive landslides, sinking of land, and incessant rains.

Officials said road restoration work is being hampered due to intermittent rains.

However, despite the disruption, work is going on to partially restore the highway.

Around a dozen earth movers and JCB machines have been engaged to remove massive mudslide boulders along the Tharad stretch.

A series of controlled blasts was conducted to break heavy boulders that had accumulated on the road.

Earlier, the fair-weather highway connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country had been blocked on August 26.

The highway was partially reopened for stranded traffic on August 31.

However, a fresh spell of torrential rain on September 2 triggered multiple landslides and flash floods, blocking the highway again between Udhampur and Banihal.

While the Nashri-Banihal sector was partially opened a few days back, the Udhampur-Chenani stretch suffered extensive damage due to sinking land and a massive landslide in Tharad village ahead of Udhampur.

Authorities said efforts are underway to restore the highway between Udhampur and Chenani, but intermittent rains are hampering progress.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people crossed the damaged Tharad stretch on foot on Sunday to reach their destinations.

The prolonged closure has severely affected normal life in Chenani, Kud, Patnitop, and areas across Udhampur, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar districts, and Kashmir.

Hundreds of vehicles carrying essential supplies, oil, and LPG cylinders for Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, and Kashmir remain stranded at different locations between Lakhanpur-Madhopur to Jakhani, Udhampur. The prolonged blockade is causing shortages of fruits, vegetables, poultry, and other commodities in these districts and across Kashmir.

Late Sunday evening, an engineer of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in Udhampur said road restoration work is going on in the Tharad area.

SLOW MOVEMENT ON MUGHAL ROAD

With Srinagar-Jammu National Highway and the Srinagar-Leh National Highway remaining closed, the Mughal Road has emerged as the only operational link connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country.

On Sunday, vehicle movement on the road continued smoothly, providing relief to travellers, particularly between Jammu and Kashmir.

However, traffic pace remained sluggish due to heavy rush, apprehension of shooting stones and landslides, and congestion at several narrow stretches.

Despite these challenges, passenger and goods carriers continued to move steadily.

Deputy SP Traffic Rajouri-Poonch, Shiv Kumar, said that Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) moved from both sides on Sunday, while heavy vehicles operated one-way from Kashmir to the Pir Panjal region.

On Monday, heavy vehicles would move from the Pir Panjal side to Kashmir, while LMVs would continue moving from both directions.

The Mughal Road’s importance has increased significantly due to the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, as it currently serves as the sole operational corridor for traffic into and out of Kashmir.

HEAVY RUSH ON JAMMU–RAJOURI–POONCH NH

The Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch National Highway, the main road link for Rajouri, Poonch, and parts of Reasi with Jammu, has witnessed severe traffic congestion over the past several days, which worsened on Sunday.

Commuters reported hours-long jams, leaving travellers stranded for prolonged durations.

The diversion of Kashmir-bound traffic through the Mughal Road has further worsened congestion on this highway.

Bottlenecks emerged at multiple points where highway upgradation work is underway and where traffic police regulate vehicles to restrict night movement on the Mughal Road.

These stretches witnessed massive pile-ups, with traffic crawling at a snail’s pace.

The worst congestion was reported between Rajal and Lamberi in Nowshera sub-division, where vehicles moved slowly from morning till evening.

Some drivers said they were stuck for more than five hours.

Officials said that despite round-the-clock efforts by traffic and local Police personnel to streamline movement, the heavy rush of vehicles, especially Kashmir-bound heavy vehicles, exacerbated the situation.

They said that double and triple-laning by LMVs, particularly cars, worsened the jams.

Senior officials, including ADC Nowshera and Executive Magistrates, were on the ground assisting traffic staff, while SSP Traffic Jammu Rural, Girdhari Lal Sharma, also visited the spot to review the situation.

Sharma said additional Police teams from inner areas had been deployed to manage the continuing heavy rush, which primarily emerged due to the diversion of Kashmir-bound traffic through the Mughal Road.

By late evening, some improvement was reported, though normal traffic flow remained disrupted.

BRO RESTORES BASOHLI–BANI ROAD

In a relief measure, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) restored traffic on the Basohli-Bani road in Kathua district after bypassing a damaged portion at Tikri Morh, 47 km from Basohli.

Officials said a new road formation had to be cut in treacherous weather and difficult terrain, with men and machines taking calculated risks to restore connectivity.

The restoration established a link from Basohli in Kathua to Bhaderwah in Doda district.

PRO Defence Jammu praised Officer Commanding 69 RCC, Sankar Tayal, and his team for successfully completing this challenging task under adverse conditions.

VAISHNO DEVI YATRA REMAINS SUSPENDED

The yatra to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district remained suspended for the 13th consecutive day.

The yatra was halted hours before a landslide triggered by heavy rains along the old track at Adhkuwari on August 26 claimed 34 lives and left 20 others injured.