Traffic movement suspended on Jammu-Srinagar highway after fresh landslide

Udhampur, Aug 30: Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway once again came to a grinding halt on Saturday evening after fresh landslide activity was reported near Bali Nallah, around 10 kilometers from Udhampur town.

Witnesses said debris from the hillside began sliding gradually toward the highway around 4 pm, forcing police to immediately suspend vehicular movement and evacuate nearby shops and pedestrians from the spot. People living close to the affected patch were also shifted to safer locations as a precaution.

For the fifth consecutive day, normal traffic could not resume on the highway, with authorities allowing only supply trucks and essential vehicles to move in batches through the partially restored stretch. Repair work has been repeatedly disrupted by falling debris, delaying the full restoration of the road.

Meanwhile, traffic was also blocked for nearly an hour in the Kishtwari Pather area due to a separate landslide.

Later in the evening, police issued an advisory announcing a complete shutdown of traffic between Udhampur and Chenani from Saturday evening till 6 am Sunday to facilitate restoration work on the damaged sections.