Jammu-Srinagar NH reopens after 9 days, Vaishno Devi Yatra remains suspended; BRO restores vital LoC road

JAMMU: The Jammu-Srinagar highway that connects Kashmir Valley to rest of India was opened for light motor vehicles after remaining closed for nine days at a stretch in the wake of heavy rains, floods and landslides, but Vaishno Devi yatra remained suspended for the 16th consecutive day on Wednesday.Meanwhile, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) restored a vital road connecting Army posts and villages along the Line of Control (LoC) that was washed away in the recent rains.The prolonged closure of Jammu-Srinagar NH left thousands of trucks carrying goods and passenger vehicles stranded on both sides of the carriageway in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir. “The restoration work started on a war-footing after rains stopped in Jammu region on Sept 7, and today (Wednesday) traffic has been restored on the highway,” said an NHAI official.The 270-km highway had remained closed since Aug 26. It was briefly opened on Aug 30, but closed again. In total, it remained blocked for 14 days.J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha had on Tuesday visited Thard Village in Udhampur and reviewed the ongoing restoration work. Earlier, CM Omar Abdullah had taken an extensive tour of Ramban and Udhampur districts on Aug 31 to assess the damage.Pilgrimage to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine nestled in Trikuta Hills in Jammu’s Reasi district will resume only after weather conditions improve and the tracks are declared safe, officials said.

The yatra was suspended after a massive landslide on Aug 26 that killed at least 34 pilgrims.The calamitous rains had also washed away a major portion of Purna Bahadur-Thandi Kassi Road, a lifeline for several villages and Army units along the LoC.“The 58 RCC (Road Construction Company) under 31 Border Roads Task Force, under Project Sampark chief engineer Brig R K Mishra, undertook immediate action to restore this crucial link and constructed 70-metre diversion, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity for both local residents and security forces within a remarkably short span of time,” Defence PRO, Jammu, said.BRO’s 118 RCC also restored the critical Gulabgarh-Chashoti road in Kishtwar district, bringing relief to local residents who had remained cut-off for two weeks.(With PTI inputs)