Jammu-Srinagar National Highway reopens after two days as landslides forced closure

Banihal/Jammu: The 270-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway reopened on Saturday after remaining closed for the past two days owing to multiple landslides triggered by heavy rains, officials said.

The highway was blocked at over a dozen places between Udhampur and Banihal on Thursday, leaving thousands of vehicles stranded.

"The highway was cleared for one-way traffic around 10 am... After clearance of the stranded vehicles, the traffic will be allowed from Srinagar towards Jammu," Deputy Superintendent of Police, National Highway, Ajay Anand told PTI.

Heavy rains lashed many parts of Jammu and Kashmir over the past two days, triggering landslides and shooting stones from hillocks overlooking the highway at Panthiyal, Battery Cheshma, Monkey Morh, 
Mehar, Chanderkote, Sherbibi, Moum Passi, Ramsoo, Digdole, Kela Morh, Maroog and Trishul Morh.

"After hectic efforts by road clearance agencies, the road was made trafficable this morning, but continuous shooting stones from the hills at Panthiyal and Monkey Morh caused some delay," the officer said on Saturday.

He said passenger vehicles and trucks carrying essential commodities to Kashmir were cleared on priority after restoration of the highway amid improvement in weather.

"The traffic is moving smoothly and we are expecting to allow traffic from Kashmir towards Jammu around noon," he added.