E-Paper
Jammu-Srinagar national highway partially restored
Over 1000 HMVs stranded in Ramban; more than 4,000 Amarnath pilgrims from Jammu take shelter at Chanderkote; The highway remained blocked through the day due to landslides and shooting stones trigged by overnight rains in the district.
The 270km-long Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the only all-weather surface link that connects Kashmir to the outside world, was partially restored for traffic on Thursday evening at Ramban, said officials. The highway remained blocked through the day due to landslides and shooting stones trigged by overnight rains in the district.
Ramban district police chief, SSP Mohita Sharma said, “The road has been restored for one-way traffic in Ramban. However, heavy-motor vehicles remain stranded at different places. Around 4,703 Amarnath Yatris, who had arrived on Thursday morning from Jammu for their pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine, have been given shelter at Yatri Niwas base camp at Chanderkote. Hopefully, they will be allowed to move for Pahalgam and Baltal base camps on Friday morning.”
The officials said 2,001 pilgrims headed for Baltal were the first to leave the Bhagwati Nagar camp in 54 vehicles, followed by the second convoy of 102 vehicles carrying 2,702 pilgrims to Pahalgam.
With this, a total of 1,24,714 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for the Valley since June 29, according to the officials.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has pressed its officials to clear the affected stretch. According to the traffic police control room, nearly 1,200 vehicles were stranded between Ramban and Panthiyal alone.
The 43-day Amarnath Yatra to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas commenced on June 30. So far, over 2.20 lakh pilgrims have offered prayers at the cave shrine, housing the naturally formed ice Shiv lingam, the officials said. The pilgrimage is scheduled to end on August 11 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.
So far, 35 people, mostly pilgrims, have died during the ongoing Amarnath Yatra. This excludes 15 pilgrims who died in a flash flood near the cave shrine on July 8, the officials said.
