Jammu: The Jammu-Srinagar national highway is among 11 roads closed in the Jammu region on Wednesday following landslides and mudslides triggered by heavy rains, leaving over 2,000 vehicles stranded en route.
The men and machines of multiple clearance organisations are battling heavy rains and flashfloods to clear the highways and roads in the region to make them trafficable.
The Jammu-Srinagar national highway remained closed for traffic following landslides, washing away of road patches, mudslides, and boulders sliding off slopes after heavy rains at several places on the 250-km road linking the valley to the rest of the country.
Besides this, important highways, including the Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch highway, Batote-Doda-Kishtwar highway, Simthan-Anantnag road and Mughal Road are shut for traffic in view of landslides and as a precautionary measure amid heavy rains.
“The Jammu-Srinagar highway, Mughal Road, Sonamarg-Srinagar-Gumari road, and Sinthan road are closed for vehicular movement due to landslides, mudslides, and shooting stones at several places,” J-K traffic police said.
They advised people not to undertake journeys on these roads until the weather improves and restoration work is completed.
“No vehicular movement will be allowed from Jakheni (Udhampur) towards Srinagar as a stretch of land on the upper side of the road has sunk at Thard, Udhampur, besides landslides, mudslides, and shooting stones at multiple places on the highway,” an officer said.
Vehicular movement will also not be allowed from Nagrota (Jammu) towards Reasi, Chenani, Patnitop, Doda, Ramban, Banihal, Srinagar and vice-versa.
“Commuters belonging to Katra and Udhampur town are requested to keep their photo ID cards to prove their identity so that their movement can be facilitated smoothly,” an official said.
Over 2,000 vehicles are stranded at various places due to the closure of the highway, they said.
The Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch National Highway is closed since Tuesday night at Chowki Choura near Kandi tunnel, they said.
Over 300 vehicles are stranded due to the damaged road surface, they added.
Efforts are on to restore the highway to reconnect Rajouri and Poonch besides facilitating the movement of essential services, they said.
The Batote-Doda-Kishtwar highway is also closed following landslides in the Pul Doda area, resulting in stranding of several vehicles, they said.
Similarly, the Kishtwar-Sinthan-Anantnag highway is closed for vehicular movement, they said, adding Mughal Road has also been shut.
Besides this, nine inter-district roads in Kathua, Rajouri, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban and Reasi are shut due to landslides and falling boulders, they said.
