1. Home
2. Top Stories

Rains, landslides block NH1A

Khawaja Sharjeel. Dated: 8/4/2012 11:10:32 PM

BANIHAL, Aug 4: Jammu-Srinagar National highway was blocked due to heavy rains followed by landslides near Ramban district.
Three hundred kilometers long national highway 1 A remained closed for at-least 15 hours for vehicular traffic, today while thousands of vehicles remain stranded from both sides from Ramban to Batote and Banihal to Ramsu as many landslides stuck in these particular stretches due to heavy rains at six different places.
Thousands of vehicles remained stranded on both sides from Ramban to Batote, Battery Chashma to Panthal and Banihal to Ramsu due to six small and huge land slides struck on it due to heavy rains at 2.00 AM.
2IC BEACON Batote Shamshad Ahmed told KTNS that only one land slide occurred at 150 kilometers point. “We pressed JCB at work at 5.00 AM and cleared it by 12.00 Noon,” he added.
When contacted DySP Ramban Faisal Qureshi, he averred that traffic was stopped at 2.00 AM due to multiple landslides and shooting stones on the National Highway. Landslides struck at six different places on the highway. After landslides traffic cops stopped vehicles at Udhampur, Kud, Batote and Ramsu to reduce traffic jamming. The road was cleared for two way traffic at 5.00 PM, he claimed.
Landslides struck at Panthal 171 kms, Battery Chashma, Maroog 163 kms, Sari 151 kms and at kms 150 Shan Palace Ramban. The vehicular traffic was given green signal for movement at 5.00 PM and till evening 2000 stranded passenger vehicles were cleared, he added.
BEACON authorities and traffic cops reached slide places at 5.00 AM and then started work to remove landslides from NH1A.
Due to closure of national highway heavy traffic jamming was witnessed despite hard work of traffic cops.
When contacted, DySP Traffic Banihal BK Ganju told that many landslides stuck the national highway due to heavy rains late last night and traffic movement was suspended. Light Motor Vehicles were allowed to move at 3.00 PM but heavy motor vehicles were allowed at 6.30 PM, he added.