Landslides, snowfall shut Mughal Road, National Highway-44

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, October 17

As rains battered the Jammu region, landslides and shooting stones at some points blocked the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) on Tuesday. The Ramban administration was forced to shut the schools in the wake of bad weather. Several vehicles going towards the Valley were left stranded in Udhampur. Men and machinery were pressed into service at Dhalwas and Cafeteria Morh in Ramban. The Mughal Road and the Srinagar-Leh highway were also shut due to the accumulation of snow, the traffic police informed.

Ramban Deputy Commissioner Mussarat Islam said road clearance work on the NH-44 was in progress. He said keeping in mind the continuous rains since Monday, all government and private schools up to higher secondary level in the district remained closed.

The highway was cleared of debris by afternoon, but was closed again due to the possibility of more landslides as the downpour continued.

Doda Deputy Commissioner Vishesh Mahajan directed officials to ensure road accessibility, uninterrupted power and water supply in the district.

Meanwhile, the Jammu Kashmir Disaster Management Authority (JKDMA) handed over specialised equipment and vehicles to Mechanical & Hospital Engineering Directorate to carry out safe and effective snow clearing work.

Meanwhile, there are reports that harvest-ready crop of famous Basmati rice grown in the border belt of Jammu was damaged due to rain.