SRINAGAR: The Jammu–Srinagar National Highway (NH-44), the only all-weather road link connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country, remained closed for vehicular traffic on Thursday evening as intermittent landslides and shooting stones continued to disrupt restoration work at multiple locations.
According to the Traffic Police, road clearance operations were underway, but fresh landslides and falling rocks repeatedly hampered efforts to restore traffic on the strategic highway.
Officials said only local and stranded vehicles that had been trapped due to landslides and shooting stones were allowed to move after limited clearance, while the highway remained closed to all other traffic.
The Traffic Police urged commuters to avoid travelling on the highway until it is officially declared safe and reopened, warning that there is a continued risk of fresh landslides and shooting stones because of the prevailing weather conditions.
Motorists have also been advised not to rely on rumours regarding the reopening of the highway and instead verify traffic updates through official Traffic Police communication channels, including its social media platforms and Traffic Control Units (TCUs).
The highway has witnessed repeated disruptions over the past two days following heavy rainfall that triggered landslides, mudslides and shooting stones across several vulnerable stretches, particularly in Ramban district, affecting movement between Jammu and the Kashmir Valley.
