Excelsior Correspondent
RAMBAN, Aug 14: Over 3000 vehicles have been stranded as the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway continued to be blocked near Ramban on the second consecutive day today.
Official sources said that the busy highway which was blocked at around 5 pm on Thursday at Mehar between main Ramban bridge over Chenab and Ramban town, after massive land slides, could not be cleared even today. Though the weather was dry, yet the land slides apparently took place due to blasting and cutting of mountains by the construction company workers engaged on four- laning work.
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With the sudden closure of the highway, the movement of the vehicles came to grinding halt on the highway. Many trucks with essential supplies to Kashmir including fuel tankers were also struck on the highway besides scores of passenger vehicles.
SSP Traffic National Highway, J S Johar when contacted said that during last night the restoration work could not be initiated as shooting stones from the mountain top hampered the operation for long. He said since morning about half a dozen JCBs/ machines are engaged on road clearance work. Since the volume of the debris is huge, it could not be cleared till late this evening. He hoped that the road would be cleared by mid night if the weather remained clear. The drizzle in the area has started late this evening and the sky was over cast with clouds, he added.
Johar said the movement of vehicles from Jammu and Udhampur side besides Kashmir valley was stopped last evening. Over 3000 vehicles are reportedly struck at different places in Jammu, Nagrota, Bypass, Dhar Road Udhampur, Batote, Ramban, Banihal, Qazigund, Anantnag and other areas of the highway in Kashmir. He hoped that highway will be restored by mid night.
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