Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 18: The traffic on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was suspended today for more than five hours, after the highway was blocked due to major landslides in Peera area near Nashri Tunnel in Ramban.
The Mughal Road which remained blocked for three days due to heavy snowfall in Pir- Ki- Gali area of Pir Panjal, was also reopened last evening while one way traffic from Poonch to Shopian in Kashmir was allowed by the authorities today.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was blocked by heavy boulders near Peera bridge in Nashri area of Ramban district at around 11.45 am today.
He said road widening work is going on at this point and few weeks earlier also, there was heavy landslides in the same area. The highway suffered massive damage and it took long time to the National Highway authorities to partially restore highway and open it for one way traffic.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Traffic, National Highway, Sanjay Bhagat said there are large boulders still lying on the highway at Peerah and only narrow single road could be restored at this site. He said all the stranded vehicle were being cleared and massive jam had been created on both sides.
The movement of traffic on both the sides at Udhampur and Qazigund was stopped. He said again the highway is being widened after blasting rocks/ boulders. It may take some more hours to fully restore the highway.
The SSP said no loss or casualty was reported in the landslides on highway during the day. It caused massive traffic jam on the road leaving thousands of passengers stranded. But all of them were cleared by late this evening.
Meanwhile, SDPO Surankote Mohd Riaz said that the Mughal Road, connecting the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu region with South Kashmir’s Shopian district, was reopened for one-way traffic after remaining closed for the last three days due to snowfall in Pir Ki Gali area. He said the highway was cleared by last evening but the upward traffic to Kashmir from Poonch and Rajouri side was restored this morning. Only light vehicles were allowed to ply on the road from Poonch to Kashmir side, Riaz added.
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