Jammu: The Jammu-Srinagar national highway remained shut for fresh traffic for the sixth straight day on Sunday as continuous rains and fresh landslides hampered restoration work, officials said.
A traffic department official said no vehicles were allowed from Jammu or Srinagar due to the highway’s closure — the only all-weather road connecting the Valley with the rest of the country.
“Traffic was partially restored on Saturday and stranded vehicles were being cleared. However, the stretch from Tharad Bridge to Balli Nallah started sinking, forcing complete suspension of movement,” the official said, urging people not to travel until restoration is complete and to ignore rumors.
Project Manager NHAI Ramban, Shubam, said torrential rains are delaying clearance operations. “A 150-metre landslide at Tharad between Chenani and Udhampur has blocked one tube of the highway and is threatening the other,” he said, adding that machinery is on standby for resumption once weather improves.
Meanwhile, widespread rainfall across the Jammu region, including Udhampur, disrupted normal life. In Jammu city, the circular road linking Gujjar Nagar with Sidhra via Panjtirthi — locally known as “Thandi Sadak” — was also closed after stone-shooting and landslides at several points. Commuters have been advised to take alternative routes.
