In Jammu and Kashmir, the traffic on the strategic Jammu-Srinagar national highway (NH44) will remain suspended for 24 hours starting this morning to facilitate urgent road widening and repair works. The move comes after recent landslides, particularly near Ramban town, caused significant damage to the national highway, the only all-weather road link connecting the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country.
According to an order issued by Deputy Commissioner Ramban, the national highway will remain closed to all traffic from 8 AM today until 8 AM tomorrow to allow uninterrupted repair operations. Authorities have advised commuters to plan their travel accordingly.
According to an order issued by Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, Baseer-ul-Haq Chaudhary, the traffic will be halted on the highway for repair work from 8 am on Sunday to 8 am on Monday.
A traffic department official clarified that the traffic will remain suspended on the 250-km highway, the only all weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country, between Nashri Tunnel to Banihal Tunnel — a 66-km stretch in Ramban which suffered damages at several places especially between Maroog and Seri following multiple landslides triggered by heavy rains on April 20.
“There will be no movement of any kind of vehicle after 5 pm today (Saturday) from Qazigund towards Jammu and from Udhampur towards Srinagar. Load carrier operators carrying perishable items or live stock are advised to load their vehicles accordingly,” a spokesperson of the traffic department said.
The one-way traffic on the highway was restored on April 23 to facilitate stranded passengers to move out of Kashmir following a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam a day earlier. The attack left 26 persons, mostly tourists, dead.
In his order, the deputy commissioner Ramban said granted sanction to National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for taking the 24-hour traffic haltage to undertake the widening of damaged road portion in order to ensure the safety and well-being of the commuters.
The four-km Maroog-Seri stretch of the highway was worst-hit in the natural fury, burying dozens of vehicle including trucks and damaging the retaining walls and vehicle parapets. News source, PTI.