Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, July 27

Traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was disrupted on Monday after fresh landslides, mud and road damage hit the Dewal-Samroli stretch in Udhampur district, forcing authorities to restrict movement and regulate the passage of stranded vehicles.

The highway was partially reopened later in the afternoon after several hours of restoration work by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), allowing vehicles stranded on both sides of the affected stretch to move through a single carriageway on an alternating basis.

Raja Adil Hamid, Senior Superintendent of Police (Traffic), National Highway, Ramban, said repair work was continuing and that stranded vehicles were being cleared under controlled traffic arrangements.

“Fresh traffic will not be allowed until the road is fully restored and declared safe,” Hamid said.

Traffic authorities said about 1700 trucks, along with a large number of passenger vehicles, remained stranded between Udhampur and Banihal. Priority was being given to passenger vehicles while repair crews worked to restore the damaged road surface.

A stranded driver said vehicles were struggling to negotiate the affected section because of slush and sticky clay, while traffic was being allowed to pass in one direction at a time.

The latest disruption followed fresh landslides that blocked the highway around midnight on Sunday. Although debris was cleared early on Monday, allowing a scheduled Amarnath Yatra convoy to pass through the Udhampur-Banihal sector, traffic was later halted to allow further restoration work.

Authorities advised motorists to avoid travelling on the highway until the affected section was declared safe, warning that continued monsoon activity could trigger further landslides, mudslides and falling rocks along vulnerable stretches.

They also urged commuters to rely only on official traffic advisories issued by traffic police and control units in Jammu, Srinagar, Udhampur and Ramban.

The highway had been partially reopened on Sunday evening after restoration work at the Dewal-Samroli section and the landslide-hit Gangroo area of Ramsu in Ramban district.

Fresh weather-related incidents, however, again disrupted movement, highlighting the continuing impact of heavy monsoon rains on the strategically important highway.

Restoration teams, heavy machinery and emergency personnel remained deployed at vulnerable locations, officials said.

Meanwhile, rain resumed along the Udhampur-Chenani section, slowing the movement of vehicles near the landslide-hit area. The Chenani-Banihal stretch remained open to two-way traffic, with no fresh landslides reported there by late Monday evening.