Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 1: While the Jammu -Srinagar National Highway was reopened for traffic, the missing woman’s body was recovered from Poonch river today.
Official sources said that after clearance of mud and land- slides at different locations between Nashri and Banihal, the traffic on this busy highway was restored at around 1 pm today. Initially, the light motor vehicles were allowed to move on both the directions.
The busy, 270 kms long highway linking Kashmir to the rest of the country was closed on Thursday evening following heavy snowfall and multiple landslides in Ramban sector. Heavy rains had triggered shooting stones, mudslides and landslides at a dozen places, including Kishtwari Pather, Mom Passi, Hingni, Panthiyal, Mehar and Dalwas, while snowfall between Qazigund and Ramsu left the road slippery. Click here to watch video
A side of the road near Mehar has caved in, while a major landslide has blocked one tube of the Kunfer-Peerah tunnel, creating traffic congestion. The road is narrow at several points and this has caused traffic disruptions and long jams.
A senior Traffic Police official said that restoration of the 66-km Banihal-Nashri stretch was intensified today morning after the weather conditions improved.
“Light motor vehicles carrying passengers were allowed from Jammu towards Srinagar, and from the Valley towards Jammu,” he added.
He cautioned the commuters to follow lane discipline and avoid overtaking, which causes congestion.
“The passengers are advised to take the highway only during day-time and avoid unnecessary halting between Ramban and Banihal since there are apprehensions of landslides and shooting stones. The heavy motor vehicles were allowed later, after a thorough assessment of the condition of the road,” he said. Deputy Commissioner Ramban Baseer-ul-Haq Choudhary said there are at least 16 locations along the 66-km road stretch that were rendered vulnerable by the rains.
“The road has been cleared in almost all the places, but in Mehar area, the width has shrunk after the sinking of the side portion. This spot is a challenge. The concerned agency will address this in the next few days ,” he added. Choudhary, along with Senior Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Singh and SSP National Highway Rohit Raskotra, reviewed the vulnerable locations.
Meanwhile, reports from Poonch said that dead body of a missing woman was recovered from Poonch river near Dingla village during the day today. The victim has been identified as Shaheena Akhtar, resident of Manjakote in Rajouri. On Friday, the dead body of missing man, Abdul Aziz was recovered from Poonch river. The search for another woman and a baby was still going on along the river banks.
It is pertinent to mention here that these four persons including a new born baby had gone missing on Thursday evening when a Xylo vehicle slipped into Suran river during heavy rain. Seven persons were rescued by police and SDRF men and shifted to hospital. One of them died in GMC hospital Rajouri last night.
Meanwhile, Batote- Kishtwar, Reasi Mahore and several other roads were reopened today. Power supply has also been restored at many far flung areas by this evening.
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