Jammu: The Jammu-Srinagar national highway was closed for traffic for the third consecutive day on Thursday due to multiple landslides triggered by heavy rains in the Udhampur-Ramban belt, officials said.
Due to the closure of the highway, over 500 to 600 vehicles are stranded at various places en route.
The 270-km-long stretch, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was blocked by multiple landslides at several places between Jakheni and Chenani in Udhampur, they said.
“Highway is closed for vehicular movement from Jakheni in Udhampur towards Srinagar due to damage at several places between Jakheni and Chenani. No vehicular movement shall be allowed from Nagrota in Jammu towards Reasi, Chenani, Patnitop, Doda, Ramban, Banihal, Srinagar,” a traffic police official said.
He said commuters belonging to Katra and Udhampur towns are requested to keep their photo ID cards to prove their identity so that their movement can be facilitated smoothly.
The men and machines of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) are working to clear the highway of blockades, which occurred on Tuesday following heavy rains and flash floods, they said.
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According to the traffic advisory, the Kishtwar-Sinthan-Anantnag highway is closed for vehicular movement.
It said subject to fair weather and good road condition, and after getting a green signal from the BRO, traffic movement shall be allowed in a regulated manner on the Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumari road.
LMVs followed by HMVs shall be allowed from Sonamarg towards Kargil between 1130 hours and 1730 hours.
“No vehicle shall be allowed after the cut-off timing. Security forces convoys plying from Srinagar to Kargil and vice versa shall plan their movement in such a manner so that civil traffic is not disturbed,” the advisory said.
According to the advisory, movement of LMVs shall be allowed on Mughal Road between Shopian district of Kashmir and Poonch district of Jammu region, subject to fair weather and good road condition, after getting a green signal from road maintenance agencies.
“LMVs and private cars shall be allowed from both sides on Mughal Road, i.e., from Jammu towards Srinagar and vice versa via Poonch. These vehicles shall be allowed from Behramgala in Poonch and Herpora in Shopian between 0700 hours and 1800 hours,” it said.
Railways run special Jammu-Delhi train for stranded passengers
The Northern Railways said it has deployed a special unreserved train from Jammu station to New Delhi on Thursday, to ensure a smooth journey for tourists stranded due unprecedented monsoon onslaught in the UT this year.
Scores of people, especially pilgrims, were stranded as heavy rains lashed the Jammu region in the last two days severely disrupting rail and road traffic, and also due to a landslide that struck Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, claiming 34 lives. Jammu region recorded its heaviest rainfall since 1910, at 380 mm by Wednesday morning.
The Northern Railways had on Wednesday ordered the cancellation of 58 trains to and from Jammu and Katra stations, while 64 trains were short-terminated or short-originated at various stations in the division due to the devastation caused by record rains.
“An unreserved special train is scheduled from Jammu to Delhi, around 2 pm on Thursday to help stranded tourists. It will have stops at major stations like Kathua and Pathankot Cantonment,” Public Relations Officer (PRO), Railways, Jammu, said.
Passengers can board the train from Jammu, Kathua, and other stops en route, he added.
This step has been taken by railway authorities following multiple requests to ensure greater convenience for passengers. Passengers are stranded at various railway stations, particularly Jammu, waiting for the Railways to resume train traffic.
Heavy rainfall in Jammu-Pathankot has affected the rail services in the Jammu division as railway tracks and bridges bore the brunt of the floods. Train services remain badly hit, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at Jammu railway station.
A majority of them are pilgrims returning from the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, which was hit by a landslide on Tuesday, killing 34 people and injuring 20 others, officials said.
Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine, also recorded a 24-hour rainfall of 284 mm on Wednesday.
Babita Jaiswal, a resident of Kanpur, said, “We were in Katra for two days, but were asked to leave and told that trains were operating from Jammu. We reached Jammu somehow by bus. There is no train or bus available from here… How will we go home now? There is no place to stay, no provision for washrooms… Where will we go?”
She said the stranded passengers want train services to be restored as soon as possible.
Rail traffic, which was briefly restored on Wednesday morning with six trains departing from Jammu after a day-long suspension, has again been halted due to flash floods and heavy soil erosion in the Chakki river area, officials said.
Providing details, the PRO said 58 trains were cancelled, three partially cancelled, one partially restored, five fully restored, and three diverted. Additionally, 18 trains had short origins and 46 short terminations.
In a humanitarian step, the Railways reached out to stranded passengers at several railway stations and took measures to provide food and lodging facilities in the prevailing bad weather conditions in the Jammu region.
Food items and water were arranged in coordination with local NGOs and civil society for passengers of stranded trains at Manwal, Sangar and Gaghwal, with the help of station staff, Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police.
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