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Leh, Mughal roads open Traffic on NH resumes

PRINCE JEHANGIR. Dated: 9/13/2017 4:10:46 PM

Only stranded vehicles allowed to move

BANIHAL/SRINAGAR, Sep 12: Traffic movement has been partially restored over 300 kilometers long Jammu-Srinagar national highway after 24 hours of blockade which was caused by damage of a bridge over highway at Morh Passi near Samroli in Udhampur.
Hundreds of vehicles which got stranded in between Udhampur and Chenani sector of national highway are being cleared on priority basis.
300 kilometers long Jammu Srinagar national highway was blocked last evening when a massive landslide hits a bridge and damaged it at kilometer number 76.200 near Morh Passi on NH in between Samroli and Udhampur.
Sources in NH1A told that road maintance agency pressed eight heavy excavators in removal of debris from the road. After clearance of debris road construction company started mending the damaged portion of bridge.
After about 11.00 AM in the morning the bridge was put on testing and as a part of testing NH1A allowed about 30 vehicles to move over it. After first successful testing some more works were done over bridge and then at about 3 PM authorities allow LMVS to go through bridge.
Traffic Unit Ramban said that on Tuesday morning another landslide broke out on Jammu-Srinagar national highway at Marog area of Ramban sector.
At Marog work site of HCC a landslide break out when some loose rocks material fell down on highway which also disturbed traffic movement in between Ramban and Banihal.
After period of five hours road maintance agency HCC cleared debris from the road and at about 5.15 PM traffic movement was restored on National Highway at Marog landslide.
The bridge had developed cracks under the impact of the landslide, Sanjay Bhagat, Senior Superintendent of Police (National Highway), said.
Another landslip struck the highway in the Ramsu area of Ramban this morning and work is underway to clear debris, the SSP said.
On the damage to the bridge, he said it was being cleared to pave the way for experts to inspect the extent of the loss.
The majority of the stranded vehicles have returned and those waiting for the opening of the road have moved to safer places, added the SSP.
A traffic official said the officers have been directed to ensure that no vehicle is allowed on the highway, and those stranded are not parked in any landslide or vulnerable zones under any circumstances.
"The stretch between Jawahar Tunnel to Ramban is a slide-prone zone and therefore should be kept free from all sorts of traffic to avoid any untoward incident," the official said.
Meanwhile, only one-way traffic will ply on historic 86-km-long Mughal road, which has been seen as alternative to the Srinagar-Jammu national highway.
“Traffic will ply from Shopian to Rajouri-Poonch on the road today,” officials added.
They said the traffic on the Srinagar-Leh national highway, which connects Ladakh region with rest of the state, was also plying normally.