Work on Jammu-Srinagar national highway clearance speeds up

Banihal/Jammu, January 9

The Jammu-Srinagar national highway remained closed for the third day on Sunday owing to heavy snowfall and multiple landslides in Ramban district even as the road clearance agencies sped up the restoration work, officials said.

The helicopter service resumed at the holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district, while efforts are on to restart the battery car service.

After days of heavy rain and snowfall across Jammu and Kashmir, a little improvement in weather was seen, especially on Friday and Saturday, so the road clearance operation was intensified to restore traffic on the 270-km-long strategic highway. “The restoration is not possible today (Sunday) as loose debris from the hillocks overlooking the highway at various places is still flowing down and delaying the clearance operation,” SSP, Traffic (National Highway), Shabir Ahmad Malik said.

He said the highway is cleared from Jammu to Mehar in Ramban. — PTI