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Massive landslide damages houses, shuts highway at Ramban
A massive landslide damaged 28 houses in a village along Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, rendering hundreds of people homeless, officials said on Sunday. The landslide had also damaged a 500-meter stretch of the 270-km highway, diminishing the chances of early restoration of the traffic on the arterial road which remained closed for the third consecutive day on Sunday, the officials said.
A massive landslide damaged 28 houses in a village along Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, rendering hundreds of people homeless, officials said on Sunday. The landslide had also damaged a 500-meter stretch of the 270-km highway, diminishing the chances of early restoration of the traffic on the arterial road which remained closed for the third consecutive day on Sunday, the officials said.
The highway was closed on Friday after heavy rain triggered landslides and shooting stones from hillocks in Panthyal, Monkey Morh, and Mehar and a few other locations in Ramban area.
Though boulders and mudslides at about a dozen places between Nashri- Ramban and Banihal have been cleared by the road maintenance company, the blockades at Dhalwas area of Ramban could not be cleared.
A massive landslides occurred at Dhalwas village near Chandekot on Saturday where at least 28 houses were damaged. Out of the total, 15 houses fully perished with the sinking of the mountainous land. Over 500-metre of the road has been damaged there. However, no loss of human life has been reported.
“15 houses have been completely damaged till Saturday evening and due to continuous sinking of land, as many as 13 buildings, including four shops, have been partially damaged,” said village sarpanch Zaitoon Begum.
The district administration has shifted 40 families to safer locations in the nearby schools and has made arrangements for their lodging and boarding.
The road blockade has left about 1000 trucks carrying essential supplies stuck at various locations on both sides of the highway.
“No vehicular movement was possible on the highway today. We are monitoring the situation and the land is still sinking. The restoration work shall only commence once the sliding stops. It will take several days to repair the highway, said Ajay Anand, deputy superintendent of police (traffic), Ramban.
Only trucks carrying essential commodities are being allowed on the national highway. Movement of public and private transport has been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.
