Srinagar, April 8 (IANS) Traffic on the strategic Srinagar-Jammu national highway remained closed for the second consecutive day on Wednesday after a fresh landslide hit the road in the Banihal sector of Ramban district.

Traffic department officials said the national highway (NH44) was blocked, and road clearance was going on at Shalgarhi, Banihal, which will take some time.

Moreover, there is continuous rainfall along the national highway. People have been advised not to travel on NH-44 until the road is fully restored.

“Please don’t pay heed to the rumours and check the status of roads at the traffic Police control rooms in Srinagar and Jammu,” officials said.

The highway was reopened for vehicular traffic on Monday, but after fresh shooting stones and a landslide hit the road, it was again closed.

The landslide debris was being cleared at Karol Bridge and Chanderkote in Ramban district when a fresh landslide hit the highway in the Banihal sector.

It has been raining heavily along the national highway in the Jammu division, and the officials said that the restoration work has been hampered by inclement weather.

The nearly 300 km-long highway is the lifeline for supplies to the landlocked Valley, as most essentials of life are still brought into the Valley through this highway.

LPG, petrol, diesel and kerosene, mutton, poultry products and vegetables are still brought into the Valley through tankers and trucks despite the functional rail link between Jammu and the Valley.

Unless cargo trains start bringing in essentials of life and take out fruit, etc., during the peak season, the dependence of the Valley on the highway will continue.

With massive renovation and restoration carried out by laying new bridges, flyovers and tunnels, the travel time between Srinagar and Jammu has been brought down to five hours from the previous 10 to 12 hours. Despite this, the highway remains a highly weather-dependent road because of the ecologically sensitive stretch from Ramsoo to Ramban town. Shooting stones and landslides triggered by rain often block the highway in this stretch of the road, and restoration work sometimes takes days together.

–IANS

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