Fresh landslides, Srinagar-Jammu National highway remains closed

Vehicles move through the flooded road along the swollen Dal Lake in Srinagar on Saturday. (Source: PTI)

The Srinagar-Jammu National highway continues to remain closed for traffic for the fifth consecutive day, due to the fresh landslides, triggered by the rainfall along the highway on Saturday evening.

“There was a fresh spell of rainfall yesterday evening which continued till midnight and it triggered fresh landslides on the national highway,” said SP national Highway Sanjay Kotwal. “Landslides have occurred at several places between the Banihall and Patnitop stretch.”

Traffic department on Saturday decided to allow the traffic to ply from Jammu to Srinagar on Sunday.

Kotwal said that around 700 trucks are stranded on the highway. “We have cleared the debris at several places and now we are allowing the stranded vehicles to ply on the highway,” he said. “The condition of the highway would depend on the weather conditions.”

The highway which is the only land route connecting the Kashmir from the rest of the world, was closed for traffic earlier on Wednesday, due to the landslides at several places triggered by the heavy downpour.

The weather department has predicted dry weather in the state for the next few days.

Source:: Indian Express