Srinagar-Jammu NH reopened for stranded traffic

Ramban, May 8: Following a fresh spell of heavy rains that triggered mud and landslides at several places in Ramban this morning vehicular traffic movements on Srinagar -Jammu National Highway was disrupted for several hours on Thursday.

Official sources said following a fresh brief spell of torrential rain that triggered mud and landslides near High School Seri, Chamba, and near Trishul Mode Ramban blocked ever busy Srinagar Jammu National Highway 44 on Thursday morning around 7am.

Traffic authorities said vehicular traffic movement was stopped from both sides at 7-30 am, Thursday on Jammu Srinagar National Highway due to mudslides at Chamba, Seri, Ramban.  Officials said men and machinery of the concerned road maintenance agency NHAI was summoned for clearing the mud and landslides.

They said road restoration work was simultaneously started at all the three locations at Seri, Chamba and near Trushul Mode where following heavy rains huge mudslides occurred and accumulated on the National Highway.  A moving truck was stuck in the mudslides near Trishul Mode, however the driver and helper of the truck escaped unhurt in this incident.

Deputy Commissioner Ramban, Baseer-Ul-Haq Chaudhary and SSP Traffic National Highway Ramban, Raja Adil Hamid and SSP Ramban, Kulbir Singh personally monitored the road restoration work at Chamba, Seri.

Meanwhile, a traffic Police official at Traffic Control Unit Ramban informed that a landslide was cleared at Chamba Seri and National Highway 44 was reopened at around 5-10pm. Stranded vehicles on both sides of the landslide affected areas were allowed to on priority.

Earlier, due to blockade of National Highway 44 hundreds of vehicles have been stranded at different locations between Jammu and Srinagar since Thursday morning.

Traffic officials monitoring regulation of traffic at Chamba, Seri late Thursday evening informed Greater Kashmir that stranded traffic is being cleared. They said heavy light medium heavy vehicles stranded between Ramban - Udhampur are heading towards Kashmir in a regulated manner on National Highway.

Meanwhile, traffic authorities have advised commuters and vehicle operators not to undertake journeys on the National Highway without confirming the status of road from Traffic Control Units Srinagar, Jammu, Udhampur and Ramban on Friday morning. Till filing of this report National Highway is open for stranded road traffic.