Soon after re-opening, Jammu highway shut down again

The national highway is closed for traffic for the past three days.

Fresh snowfall shut down the Srinagar-Jammu highway. (Source: Express Photo by Shuaib Masoodi)

Few hours after the Thousands are stranded along the 300km-Jammu-Srinagar highway which remained closed for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday owing to landslides. The highway had opened for a few hours on Wednesday but got closed again following fresh landslides triggered by incessant rains.

Nearly 1,800 load carriers and passenger vehicles are stranded on the road between Batote and Ramban, said SSP, National Highway, Sanjay Kotwal. There were landslides at four places including Nashri and Maggarkote from Batote onwards, he said. Kotwal added that there was little chance of the highway opening in the next 24 hours in view of weather forecasts predicting rains and snowfall till Friday morning.

SEE IN PICTURES: J&K receives snowfall for third consecutive day

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IGP Traffic, Kashmir, Muneer Khan told The Indian Express that bad weather is hampering the restoration work.
“Beacon is trying to clear the track where the landslides happened. I am hopeful that we would be able to reopen the highway soon,” he said, adding, “ It all depends on the weather conditions.”

Vehicles stranded on the Jammu national highway on Thursday. (Source: Express Photo)

A 2.6 feet deep snow cover has accumulated at Patnitop and adjoining Batote.

The tourist spot of Sanasar has been cut off as its the connecting road from Patnitop was closed due to snowfall and landslides.

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The Batote-Doda-Kishtwar road, which was open till Thursday morning, was closed due to shooting stones and landslides. Near Udhampur, where a massive landslide had blocked the road, the traffic police had cleared it partially on Wednesday and let few light vehicles pass. However, incessant rains blocked the road again on Thursday morning, sources said.

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The GREF had deployed men and machinery to clear the roads, but continuous downpour hampered their efforts.

Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force airlifted 220 people stranded in snowbound areas of Kishtwar district.
“Braving piercing snow waves, and extreme cold conditions, IAF’s MI-17 Chopper in assistance with the local administration airlifted 220 people from remote parts of Kishtwar district where they had been trapped for the past few days,” a defence ministry spokesperson said.

“The aircraft took off at 8 am on Wednesday and continued with the operations in the freezing temperature of minus 4 degrees,” he added.

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