Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday travelled by road to the winter capital to inspect the ongoing restoration work along the strategic Jammu-Srinagar national highway.
The vital 250-kilometre highway, which is the lone all-weather road that connects Kashmir to the rest of country, remained closed for the sixth consecutive day due to multiple landslides and road sinking caused by torrential rains early this week.
Abdullah, who chaired a high-level review meeting in Srinagar on Saturday, undertook the journey to get a firsthand account of the progress of the work, an official said.
He said Abdullah will brief about the situation to Home Minister Amit Shah, who is arriving in Jammu on a two-day tour to assess the flood situation on Sunday evening.
After inspecting the damaged portion of the highway at Maroong, the chief minister told reporters, “We are here to assess the situation after continuous rainfall caused damage to the highway at various places. I was told by the officials from the National Highways Authority of India and the district administration that there is an alternative way and they are working on it to ensure two-way traffic.”
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Abdullah said he was told that full restoration of the Srinagar-Jammu highway may take 20 to 25 days, but two-way traffic could be made possible on the alternative route.
Unlike before, the most problematic area this time is not the Ramban-Banihal stretch but is in Udhampur sector, he said.
“Until repair work in Udhampur is complete, normal traffic movement cannot resume,” he said before leaving for Udhampur from Ramban.
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He added that most of the internal roads have been thrown open and work is progressing rapidly on three other routes that remain closed.
Commenting on the cloudburst in Rajgarh tehsil of Ramban on Saturday, which claimed four lives and left one person missing, the chief minister said he has already ordered ex gratia relief for the victims’ families.
“The local MLA briefed me about the incident. The deputy commissioner and senior superintendent of police were on ground and disbursed immediate relief under Red Cross norms. We will take all necessary steps to rehabilitate the victims,” he assured.
Abdullah added that those affected by the cloudburst in Ramban a few months ago had similarly received assistance under State Disaster Response Fund and Red Cross norms.
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