Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Nov 10: Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was again blocked by a massive landslide near Ramban this afternoon only a few hours after vehicular traffic was resumed on the road while the Srinagar-Leh road was re-opened today after remaining closed for four days.
The fresh landslide took place this time at Digdol near Army Camp in Ramban district thus resulting into thousands of commuters stranded on the National Highway, which could be re-opened for traffic only for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday morning since it was closed on last Thursday following heavy snowfall around Jawahar Tunnel area.
IGP Traffic Alok Kumar told the Excelsior that around 250 Light Motor Vehicles and 400 heavy vehicles are stranded between Ramban and Digdol following fresh landslide. “The landslide at Digdol is massive and the debris has buried the road stretch of around 1500 meters,” he said while hinting that it may take another day in clearing the highway for allowing traffic movement.
Traffic on the NH-44, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country, resumed around 4 am on Sunday after remaining suspended for over 14 hours following a massive landslide near Mehar — two kms short of Ramban town on Saturday afternoon.
“Even as all the downward moving trucks and Light Motor Vehicles , numbering more than 1200 and stranded on the National Highway between Ramban and Banihal following Saturday landslide, were cleared this morning , the fresh landslide at Digdol again led to stranding of vehicles , which were being allowed to move towards Valley,” the IGP Traffic said and added that the road clearing agencies were working hard to ensure early opening of the road.
Besides these vehicles carrying thousands of commuters, around 5000 trucks loaded with essential commodities for Kashmir Valley, are stranded on the Jammu Srinagar National Highway since Thursday, when traffic on the road was suspended after Kashmir Valley and high altitude areas of Jammu region, including Jawahar Tunnel, experienced first major snowfall of the season.
Besides heavy rains, which lashed the highway from Banihal to Jammu, triggering explosions for road widening work is alleged to be main cause of frequent landslides even as authorities have maintained a silence over the reason.
Meanwhile, the Srinagar-Leh highway was thrown open today after remaining closed for four days. The highway was closed for traffic on Wednesday after snowfall in the region. Around 350 LMVs and 250 trucks from Kargil crossed towards Srinagar and the vehicles from Srinagar will be allowed to cross towards Kargil tomorrow.
The Mughal Road, which connects the Jammu region with south Kashmir’s Shopian district through Poonch and Rajouri, remained closed for the fifth consecutive day on Sunday. The road, which was closed for traffic on Wednesday after heavy snowfall between Pir Ki Gali and Shopian, is unlikely to be cleared soon because of massive accumulation of snow on the stretch.
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