Srinagar-Jammu NH partially restored for stranded traffic
Ramban, Sep 1: The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, after remaining blocked for six days, was partially opened for stranded traffic between Srinagar and Jammu on Monday.
Senior Superintendent of Traffic Police, National Headquarters, Ramban, Raja Adil Hamid, who is monitoring the road restoration work at Bali Nallah, said that Jammu-bound down traffic, predominantly comprising fruit-laden heavy vehicles, was moved in a regulated manner at Balli Nallah and Tharad area of Udhampur amid cloudy weather with restoration works going on side by side.
The SSP said around 700-odd stranded heavy vehicles carrying essential supplies, livestock, poultry, petroleum oil, and LPG were facilitated towards Kashmir and Chenab Valley across the sinking stretch of the road at Tharad and Balli Nallah till Monday evening.
The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway got blocked due to multiple landslides and sinking, and the washing away of road stretches between Udhampur and Chenani areas of Udhampur district on August 26, following heavy rains in the region.
Officials said the highway suffered extensive damage at several places, including Tharad near Dewal Bridge, Balli Nullah, and at other areas between Chenani and Udhampur.
They said that the highway was partially restored for stranded vehicles.
Traffic authorities late Sunday evening said that stranded vehicles carrying essential supplies were allowed to move towards Kashmir on priority.
They said, on Monday, some stranded passenger vehicles were allowed to ply on both sides of the highway in a regulated manner between Chennai and the Udhampur sectors of the highway.
Meanwhile, a fresh spell of light rain started lashing at isolated places between Udhampur and Ramban.
Till late Monday evening, stranded road traffic was being allowed to ply on either side of the highway through a two-lane down tube between Chenani and Udhampur.
Meanwhile, officials of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) said road restoration work was going on at several locations between Udhampur and Ramban.
The traffic authorities advised commuters and vehicle operators not to undertake journeys on the highway without confirming its status from the Traffic Control Units (TCUs) of Srinagar, Jammu, Udhampur, and Ramban and on the X handle and Facebook page of the J&K Traffic Police on Tuesday morning.
