Rain wreaks havoc, NH closed for 3rd day

Tribune News Service

Poonch/Ramban, March 30

Incessant rain continues to create havoc in the Jammu region. The authorities have so far rescued 30 members of six families in the Chandak area of Poonch district while 12 houses have been damaged in Ramban district in the last 24 hours.

The strategic 300-km-long Jammu-Srinagar national highway remained closed for vehicular traffic for the third consecutive day due to landslides.

District officials said five houses and a mosque had been declared unsafe due to a landslide at Chandrog in Ramban.

Reports said nine houses had been completely damaged in Budhal, Nowshera and Rajouri tehsils of Rajouri district while four persons were injured in a house collapse at Mangaldei in Nowshera.

Rain has also caused extensive damage to roads and standing crops in the Jammu region.

In Poonch district, an alternate pathway made to cross the Poonch river was washed away.

Deputy Commissioner (DC), Ramban, Farooq Ahmed Bukhari said: “About 127 houses have been damaged in the district due to landslides triggered by rain and snow in the past one month. As many as 32 houses have been fully damaged, 27 severely and 68 partially.”

The Ramban DC said Sanasar, Tanger, Kadma, Chandrog and Karansaul-Kundi villages had been the worst hit.

Senior officer, General Reserve Engineer Force, SK Meena said the national highway was closed at 23 places due to landslides and muck between Nashri (Batote) and Gangru (Ramsu).

Superintending engineer, Public Works Department (Roads and Buildings), Doda, DK Razdan said landslides at several places on the 50-km-long Batote-Doda road had been cleared this morning while the road clearance work was going on at Dansal and Koda Paani and the road was expected to open for light vehicles.

The 52-km-long Ramban-Gool road was also closed today due to landslides at several places and flash floods in the Chhapri nullah since yesterday afternoon.