The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway has reopened for traffic after a 14-day closure caused by heavy rains, flash floods, and landslides, restoring vital connectivity to the Kashmir Valley.
JAMMU: The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the sole all-weather route connecting the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India, reopened for vehicular traffic on Wednesday after being blocked for 14 days due to severe weather conditions.
The 270-kilometer highway had been closed since August 26, with only a brief reopening on August 30 before fresh landslides necessitated another shutdown. Traffic officials reported that vehicles began moving smoothly on Wednesday following the restoration of the road.
According to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), the most significant challenge was a massive landslide that occurred on September 2 near Thard-Jakheni in Udhampur district. Debris from a stretch measuring 550 by 300 meters had buried the highway.
An NHAI official stated, “From the very night of the incident, NHAI officials and hundreds of workers labored tirelessly through rains, mud, and repeated disruptions to clear the highway. Despite challenges, the team stayed on the ground 24/7 and restored it.”
The construction of a 300-meter diversion road, completed rapidly starting September 7, facilitated the resumption of traffic along this critical route.
Authorities are now focused on clearing stranded vehicles, particularly trucks carrying essential supplies to the Kashmir Valley, Doda, and Kishtwar districts. The prolonged closure of the highway had severely impacted connectivity across Jammu and Kashmir, and the pilgrimage to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine was suspended for the 16th consecutive day on Wednesday.
In addition to the reopening of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri highway, which had also been closed due to a landslide at Rusool Mode in the Zojila sector, has reopened.
Other routes, including the Kishtwar-Sinthan-Anantnag road and the Mughal Road linking Poonch with Shopian, are operational, although the Batote-Doda-Kishtwar road remains closed due to landslides.
Officials reported that the disruption had left over 4,000 vehicles stranded at various locations, including Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur, Ramban, the Kashmir Valley, and even Punjab. The recent floods and landslides have caused extensive damage, affecting nearly 12,000 kilometers of road across Jammu and Kashmir.
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