Jammu-Srinagar highway re-opened after 14 days

Mangalore Today News Network

Jammu, Sep 16, 2014 (IANS):  The strategic Jammu-Srinagar national highway was re-opened for vehicular traffic Tuesday after it remained closed for 14 days.

A statement issued by the Border Roads Organization (BRO) that maintains the over 300-km highway through which supplies of all essentials of life are routed into the landlocked Kashmir Valley said Tuesday, "After sustained effort by the BRO and the army engineers, the Jammu-Srinagar national highway has been opened today.

"Multiple landslides were cleared with simultaneous deployment of engineers and specialist equipment coordinated by the chief engineer of army’s Northern Commmand headquarters based at Udhampur to restore this vital road.

"Earlier, the military engineers restored the land link to the beleaguered Kashmir Valley from the Ladakh side on Sep 9 and cleared the Sinthan Pass route via Kishtwar on Sep 13.

"The major impediment to opening the highway was a massive landslide at Ramsoo near Ramban, where over 300 metres of road had been entirely washed away leaving a sheer cliff of 80 degrees slope.

The entire hillside had to be excavated afresh and the effort had to be further intensified due to a repeated landslide on 12 Sep.

"Undeterred, the engineers worked night and day to make a new passage through the mountain slope. Work is now on to construct a new bridge over the Ans River near Budhal, which will be completed in two days while several Army bridges have already been constructed and over 40 landslides cleared expeditiously by the sappers (as the military engineers are called).

"Clearance of remaining debris and slush on several roads in the state continues in an effort to improve traffic on all road links in the state".