JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday undertook a road journey to the winter capital to inspect restoration work along the strategic Jammu-Srinagar national highway.
The 250-kilometre highway, the only all-weather road connecting Kashmir with the rest of India, has remained closed for six consecutive days due to multiple landslides and road subsidence caused by heavy rains earlier this week.
Abdullah, who chaired a high-level review meeting in Srinagar on Saturday, traveled to assess the restoration efforts firsthand, officials said. He is expected to brief Home Minister Amit Shah, who is arriving in Jammu on a two-day visit to review the flood situation, later on Sunday evening.
After inspecting the damaged section at Maroong, the chief minister told reporters, “We are here to evaluate the damage caused by continuous rainfall at various points along the highway. Officials from the National Highways Authority of India and the district administration informed me that an alternative route is being prepared to allow two-way traffic.” He added that full restoration of the Srinagar-Jammu highway could take 20 to 25 days, but two-way movement may be possible on the alternative route.
Notably, this time the most affected area is the Udhampur sector, unlike previous incidents when the Ramban-Banihal stretch was more problematic. “Until repair work in Udhampur is complete, normal traffic movement cannot resume,” Abdullah said before leaving for Udhampur from Ramban.
He noted that most internal roads have been reopened and work is progressing swiftly on the remaining three routes that are still closed.
Addressing the cloudburst in Rajgarh tehsil of Ramban on Saturday, which claimed four lives and left one person missing, Abdullah said ex gratia relief has been ordered for the victims’ families.
“The local MLA briefed me about the incident. The deputy commissioner and senior superintendent of police were on site and provided immediate relief under Red Cross norms. We will take all necessary steps to rehabilitate the victims,” he assured.
He also recalled that those affected by a previous cloudburst in Ramban had received assistance under the State Disaster Response Fund and Red Cross guidelines.
