Jammu-Srinagar national highway blocked for 2nd consecutive day after rain-triggered landslides

The Jammu-Srinagar national highway remained blocked for the second consecutive day on Friday due to incessant rainfall triggered landslides, mudslides and shooting stones in the Ramban district.

Traffic department officials said shooting stones in Panthyal stretch of the Jammu-Srinagar highway continue to block the road as restoration work could not be started because of incessant rain.

"No vehicular traffic will be allowed on the highway today. Restoration work will be started immediately after the weather improves," traffic department officials said.

Shooting stones, mudslides and landslides triggered by rain often result in closure of the nearly 300 kms long Jammu-Srinagar highway.

In addition to being the supplies lifeline of the landlocked Valley, the highway is these days used by the Amarnath pilgrims to reach both the south Kashmir Pahalgam and the north Kashmir Baltal base camps.

Earlier, an important iron tunnel passage at a stretch of the strategic Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was damaged due to heavy shooting stones Thursday evening, even as the highway continued to remain shut due to inclement weather in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district, officials said.

The incident also left hundreds of vehicles stranded, they said.

"Fresh incident of shooting stones on the highway at Pantiyal has caused damage to the important passage of an iron tunnel set up in the most vulnerable stretch of the strategic 270-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway," an official said.

According to officials, mudslides and shooting stones struck the highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, at Mehaar, Cafeteria Moore and Pantiyal areas.

"People are advised not to travel on the Jammu-Srinagar highway without confirmation," an advisory by the traffic police said.

The convoy of Amarnath yatra, which was on its way from Jammu to Kashmir, was also halted at Chanderkoot Yatra Niwas due to the highway blockade.

A big boulder rolled down a hill and hit an electric transformer, which was loaded on a truck near Jaiswal bridge in Karool area of Ramban this evening, they said, adding that the transformer fell into the Chenab river.

Officials said a bridge over the river at Choudraman village in Warwan tehsil of Kishtwar district also got washed away following heavy rains.

with inputs from PTI, IANS