Sgr-Jmu NH blocked; vehicles stranded at Qazigund, Jakhani

Ramban: Following heavy rains, mud, and landslides, the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained blocked at a few places between Nashri and Banihal in Ramban district on Tuesday.

Due to the blockade, a large number of vehicles are stranded at Jakhani, Udhampur, and various places between Srinagar and Jammu.

Traffic officials said that the highway got blocked following heavy downpour due to which a landslide and mudslide occurred at Dalwass and on the Mehar-Cafeteria stretch near Ramban, besides triggering shooting stones near Trusul Morh, Ramban, and Shalgari area of Banihal around Monday midnight.

The traffic authorities said that due to blockade no fresh traffic was allowed from Srinagar or Jammu on Tuesday.

They said that after a slight improvement in weather on Tuesday morning, the concerned agency, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) pressed its men and machinery into service to clear the landslides in Dhalwass and on the Mehar-Cafeteria stretch.

The traffic officials said that landslides at both places were cleared and the stranded vehicles between Ramban and Banihal were permitted to move for the respective destinations on Tuesday afternoon but a heavy spell of rain again lashed the area, triggering mud and landslides on the Mehar-Cafeteria stretch and the road got blocked there.

They said that the highway, after remaining open for a brief period for stranded vehicles on the Mehar-Cafeteria stretch during the day, got blocked again.

The traffic officials said that ambulances and passenger light vehicles were diverted through Ramban old alignment road via Maitra to bypass the Mehar-Cafeteria stretch.

Due to the blockade, a large number of heavy vehicles are stranded at Jakhani, Udhampur, and other places on the highway.

The officials said that despite continuous rain, efforts were being made to clear the land and mudslides on the Mehar-Cafeteria in Ramban to clear the highway.

They said that continuous rain was hampering the road restoration work on the Mehar-Cafeteria stretch of Ramban.

The traffic authorities have advised the people not to travel on the highway till the road restoration work is completed.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ramban, Mussarat Islam said that the highway was blocked at Mehar-Cafeteria Morh, Ramban due to incessant rains and asked people to avoid travelling the highway, especially with families.

The traffic officials said no fresh traffic was allowed to move beyond Qazigund in Kashmir and Jakhani in Udhampur on Tuesday.

A traffic official at the Traffic Control Unit (TCU) Ramban, late Tuesday evening said that the highway was still closed for every type of traffic.

NHAI officials monitoring the road clearance operation at Mehar said that men and machinery were on the job to clear the landslide.

However, they said that the heavy downpour was hampering road restoration work. 

Rains, snowfall bring down temperature in Ramban

The rains that lashed across Ramban district over the last two days brought down the maximum temperature in the district while the higher reaches witnessed the first snowfall of the season at the Mahu area of Khari on Tuesday.

In the Mahu area of Kharu, two to four inches of snow was recorded.

The incessant rain in low-lying areas and snowfall in the upper reaches including the Mahu area brought down the temperature and compelled the residents across the district to wear heavy woolen clothes.

People are facing the cool breeze and prefer to remain indoors while the shopkeepers of Batote, Ramban, Banihal, Gool, and Ramsu preferred to shut shutters much earlier than usual due to the cold.

The rain led to a drop in temperature by several notches across the district.

Gool, Banihal, Batote, Ramban, and other hilly areas recorded the lowest temperature in the district.