Jammu, Aug 17 — A massive landslide on Monday disrupted traffic on the strategic Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district.
Traffic department officials said a massive landslide disrupted traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) near Darmathal-Dewal in the Udhampur-Chenani sector today, blocking movement and particularly affecting the Srinagar-bound upper tube.
Large quantities of mud, rocks and debris came down onto the highway, disrupting traffic on the critical stretch and prompting authorities to regulate movement at several points along the route.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), along with local teams, deployed machinery to remove debris and restore movement on the affected stretch.
Traffic movement on sections around Jakhani and Dewal-Samroli also remained affected, with intermittent halts, single-lane diversions and controlled releases being implemented depending on the condition of the road.
Authorities have advised commuters to avoid non-essential travel on the affected sector until weather conditions improve and the highway is declared safe for normal movement.
Motorists travelling towards Kashmir have been advised to check the latest traffic advisories before undertaking the journey and to exercise caution on vulnerable stretches of the highway.
The nearly 300-km-long Jammu-Srinagar highway continues to be the lifeline of supplies for the landlocked Valley, though the arrival of the train has mitigated the problems faced by the closure of the highway.
As passenger transport has eased because of the train service between Srinagar and Jammu, most essentials of life are still brought into the Valley through the Jammu-Srinagar highway.
In addition, apples and other horticultural produce are transported to outside UT markets by trucks via the Srinagar-Jammu national highway.
As the apple harvesting season has already started in the Valley, demand for easy and early transport of the fruit to outside markets is at its peak these days.
Continued blockade of the highway has often resulted in huge losses for orchardists as fruit has a limited period before which it must reach the buyer; otherwise, unless stored in cold storage facilities, it rots.