Landslide blocks Jammu-Srinagar highway

A fresh landslide today blocked the Jammu-Srinagar national highway near Ramban town, officials said, adding that efforts were on to make the nearly 300-km-road traffic worthy.

A landslide struck the highway, the only all-weather road connecting Kashmir with the rest of India, in Maroog area at around 1030 hours, forcing authorities to suspend traffic on the highway, traffic department officials said.

The traffic on the highway had been restricted to one way for a fortnight and only Jammu-bound vehicles were allowed to run on the road from Srinagar this morning.

The officials said a road clearance operation was underway despite drizzle and efforts were on to remove the blockade from the highway as soon as possible.

Incessant rainfall lashed parts of Jammu and Kashmir, including the highway over the past two days, triggering landslides at several places on the Ramban-Banihal stretch.

However, the road was cleared around noon yesterday and the traffic, which was suspended earlier yesterday, was allowed to move from Jammu to Srinagar around 2pm yesterday.

High-altitude areas in the state have experienced moderate snowfall since March 1, resulting in considerable drop in temperatures.