LANDSLIDES BLOCK JAMMUSRINAGAR NATIONAL HIGHWAY, OVER 1,000 VEHICLES STRANDED
JAMMU: The Jammu-srinagar national highway was completely blocked due to incessant rain that triggered landslides on Tuesday.
Around 1,000 vehicles were stranded including trucks, load carriers and passenger vehicles at Jammu by pass, Udhampur, Batote, Ramban and Ramsoo areas. Continuous rain has affected vehicular movement in the state for the past three days. The highway was shut for around seven hours on Sunday while it remained closed for more than 10 hours on Monday. The highway which was partially opened in the evening and saw temporary movement of vehicles, was again shut in the late hours on Monday due to fresh landslides.
The rains triggered landslides in Ramban and Banihal sections including Panthyal, Digdol and Shatani Nullah and Maroog.
Meanwhile, Hindustan Construction Company, engaged in four lane project of Ramban to Banihal section, is working to restore the highway.
Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) (traffic) national highway, Rakesh Gupta, said, “The highway is closed due recurring landslides in the Ramban area. Though the efforts are on to restore the highway by late evening, the major concern is landslide at Digdol.” Several vehicles are stranded at various locations on the highway, including 400-500 trucks near Ramsoo, he said.
Apart from this, traffic to Doda region including, Bhadarwah and Kishtwar also remained suspended due to landslides.
FOUR KILLED IN JAMMU
Four persons died and three others suffered injuries in flash floods following incessant rain in Jammu region, officials said on Tuesday.
One pilgrim was injured in a landslide on the track to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra belt of Reasi district on Tuesday.
While two persons died in Udhampur district and two others were injured, one person died in Jammu and Poonch district each in Jammu and Kashmir since Monday, they said.
As per reports, two dozen houses and structures suffered damages due to rains, flash floods and landslides in Jammu, Kathua, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Reasi districts.
Meanwhile, power and water supply to most parts of Jammu city and rural areas has been affected since Monday.