Banihal, April 08: The Jammu – Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) was partially restored on Wednesday evening after a massive landslide struck the Shalgadi area near Chamlawas in Banihal, forcing the closure of the arterial road for several hours.
Officials said the highway, which had earlier been reopened on Tuesday evening for stranded traffic after remaining closed for nearly four hours, was once again shut during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday due to heavy rains that triggered a fresh landslides. The debris blocked both carriageways of the four-lane highway near Banihal, halting vehicular movement completely.
Despite intermittent rainfall and adverse weather conditions, restoration work continued throughout the day, and partial traffic movement was resumed around 6 PM on Wednesday. Authorities allowed stranded vehicles to move on a priority basis, while no fresh traffic was permitted from either Jammu or Srinagar.
Traffic police officials said hundreds of trucks, fuel tankers, and passenger vehicles had been halted at safer locations including Nagrota, Udhampur, Ramban, and Qazigund. In Ramban district alone, around 500 Srinagar-bound trucks and over 200 passenger vehicles from both sides were stranded and are being cleared following the partial restoration Wednesday evening.
The highway has witnessed repeated disruptions over the past four to five days in Ramban district due to continuous rainfall, with landslides and shooting stones reported at multiple locations between Nashri and Banihal. As a result, the highway remained either partially or completely closed for nearly three out of the last four days.
Meanwhile, DIG Traffic Jammu, Dr. Mohammad Haseeb Mughal, visited Ramban district on Wednesday to assess the prevailing situation and review restoration work along the affected stretches.
Speaking to Greater Kashmir over phone, DIG Mohammad Haseeb Mugal said that persistent rainfall has made travel hazardous along several vulnerable points, including Nashri, Chanderkoot, Karool, Mehar, Digdool, and Banihal. He warned that vehicular movement in the Ramban–Banihal sector remains unsafe under the current conditions.
He added that while partial traffic movement has been allowed at some locations such as Karool and Nashri, restoration work at Shalgadi was carried out continuously by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), leading to the reopening of the road despite challenging weather.
The DIG urged commuters, particularly those stranded at Qazigund, Udhampur, and Nagrota, to consider returning instead of waiting for clearance and strictly follow traffic advisories while planning their journey to avoid any untoward incidents.
