Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 16: In a communication to Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road, Transport and Highways, Arun Gupta president Chamber of Commerce and Industry raised serious concern about the dilapidated condition and severe damage caused to National Highway NH-44 from Lakhanpur upto Srinagar due to recent heavy rains, cloud bursts and flash floods.
In a press statement Gupta demanded that concrete steps should be taken to address these problems at the earliest. He further said that the National Highway at many points has been washed away especially in Udhampur where a significant portion of three hundred meters has been washed away hampering the movement of traffic.
CCI chief pointed out that several bridges have been damaged adding to the transport difficulty. The landslides and mudslides are a persistent problem in the region, with the Tharad and Balli Nallah areas near Udhampur being particularly affected. This has buried parts of the highway under a moving hill.
Arun Gupta further said that in the absence of proper road connectivity and free movement of vehicles our traders and industrialists are not in a position to carry on their regular business smoothly. The present period is a festival season and maximum number of pilgrims/tourists visit here during the festival season besides this being a fruit season for Chenab Valley /Kashmir valley, closure of highway shall cripple the apple trade of Jammu & Kashmir.
CCI president stressed the need to reconstruct the damaged sections of the highway including bridges on war footing basis by engaging additional men and machinery to make the National Highway fully operational within shortest period of time.
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