Jammu-Srinagar NH reopened for stranded vehicles after 3-day closure

Banihal/Jammu: The 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway was reopened for stranded vehicles Saturday after remaining closed for three consecutive days owing to multiple landslides in Ramban district, officials said.

The highway was closed on Thursday evening after the arterial road was blocked by landslides triggered by heavy rains at several places between Panthiyal and Ramsu, leaving more than 1,000 vehicles including passenger vehicles and Kashmir-bound trucks carrying essential commodities stranded at different places.

The officials said the road clearance operation at Panthiyal, Cafetaria morh and Mehar was speeded up with improvement in the weather on Saturday morning and after several hours of hectic efforts, the road was cleared for stranded vehicles late afternoon.

The iron and steel tunnel at Panthiyal was almost completely damaged by the shooting stones from the hillock overlooking the highway, the officials said. They said hundreds of stranded passengers were provided food and shelter by the Ramban district administration.

“Only the stranded vehicles were allowed to move towards their destinations after the road clearance agencies cleared the debris and made the road traffic worthy,” a traffic department official said.

He said the fresh traffic from the twin capitals is likely to be restored on Sunday morning, depending on the road condition. However, there will be one-way restrictions on the heavy motor vehicles plying on the highway.

Meanwhile, an Army official said the Army evacuated 34 sportspersons including Kickboxer champion Tajamul Islam from north Kashmir’s Bandipora from Panthiyal Friday night and arranged accommodation and food for them at Banihal.