Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 17: While Kashmir valley remained cut off from rest of the country for the third consecutive day today due to landslide and snowfall, the police rescued 121 trapped tourists from Kheri landslide zone near Udhampur last night.
The snowfall and landslides disrupted air and road traffic on the National Highway, snapping Valley’s connection with the rest of the country on Sunday. The air traffic to Kashmir was however, restored today. About 4,000 vehicles, including those carrying passengers, are stranded at different places on the highway. Batote-Doda-Kishtwar road besides many other link roads are still closed.
A traffic police official said that the highway remained closed and no vehicular movement was allowed from Jammu or Srinagar since March 15. He said about one and half feet fresh snowfall was experienced on both sides of the Jawahar Tunnel, Banihal and Shaitani Nallah.
DIG Ramban, Doda-Kishtwar Range Nissar Ahmed said that most of the land slides in Ramsu and Ramban areas have been cleared, the Kheri landslide zone near Udhampur was the major bottleneck yet to be removed. The boulders are being blasted there and fresh landslide this afternoon hit 172 kms point in Ramban sector. At Kauda Pani and Raggi Nalla, the Batote-Kishtwar link was also still blocked. He hoped that highway will be cleared by tomorrow. He also disclosed that trapped five MLAs and MoS Sunil Kumar were also airlifted from Kishtwar and Chanderkote helipads to Jammu today.
About 121 tourists including children who were stranded near Kheri for the last 24 hours were rescued by police party from Udhampur police station led by SHO Inspector Mahesh Sharma under the supervision of DySP Headquarters Gaurav Mahajan and SSP Udhampur Suleman Choudhary late last night. They were removed to Udhampur in police vehicles. Most of them hail from Maharashtra.
Meanwhile, dead body of one Ch Hamid ( 40), son of Hussain Ali from Tridwan village who was washed away along with his cattle in river Ravi last evening, was recovered from down stream near Lakhanpur today. A worker at nearby crusher noticed the body and informed police. It was shifted to the mortuary of Kathua hospital by police.
An official spokesman said that there was some improvement in the weather since last night. However, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway, has pressed into service heavy machinery and men to restore traffic. Traffic on the highway will be resumed only when a green nod is received from BRO and Traffic police officials posted at different places. However, only stranded vehicles will be allowed first to move towards their respective destinations.
Meanwhile, civil and Police administration along with the cooperation from Beopar Mandal Chenani and some prominent local citizens and volunteers are on the job to take care of stranded passengers and have established langars at Chenani and Balli Naala for providing food to them. Around 3500 packs of biscuits and 700 water bottles along with other food items were provided to the stranded passengers. Some essential medicines have also been provided as per requirement.
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