Heavy rains triggered a massive mudslide that swept away a large stretch of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Dalwas area near Batote in Ramban district early Tuesday bringing traffic movement to an abrupt halt.
The 270-km long Jammu-Srinagar highway is the only all-weather surface link that connects Kashmir with the outside world.
SSP Traffic National Highways, JS Johar said, “A mudslide swept away a stretch of the road at Dalwas this morning around 5 am. Now, concrete material has to be filled up where the road was swept down the valley.”
He said nearly 500 light vehicles have been stranded due to the mudslide. Johar said that restoration will take some time.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has pressed its men and machinery to restore the highway but bad weather was hampering the restoration work.
A local scribe from Ramban said that considering the damage, it may take the entire day today to repair and restore traffic movement.
Traffic has been stopped at Qazigund on the other side of the Jawahar Tunnel and in Chenani Udhampur and Nagrota on the Jammu side following the mudslide.
{{/usCountry}}Traffic has been stopped at Qazigund on the other side of the Jawahar Tunnel and in Chenani Udhampur and Nagrota on the Jammu side following the mudslide.
{{/usCountry}}The traffic on the highway plies from Jammu and Srinagar alternatively in view of the ongoing work to convert the road into a four-lane one.
Light motor vehicles from either side of the tunnel were also stopped at various places due to the closure of the highway, the officials said.
Stranded vehicles would be given priority once the highway is restored., they said.
Meanwhile, the traffic police department has requested the people not to travel without confirming the status of the highway from traffic control units in Ramban, Jammu, Srinagar and Udhampur.
The MeT department has forecast more rain in the next two days over Jammu and Kashmir.