In the wake of flash floods and landslides in Jammu’s Ramban district, the National Highway between Jammu and Srinagar remained closed Monday. With traffic suspended, CM Omar Abdullah said efforts are on to open the highway and also warned against hoarding and black-marketing. The highway is key to bringing essential items including fuel into Kashmir. The cloudburst and subsequent landslides washed away a part of this road on Sunday. The damage to roads forced several people to walk to their destinations. Among them was the Chief Minister who walked nearly 6 km Monday evening to reach Ramban. There, he met stranded motorists, their vehicles buried by the landslides, and assured them compensation. The CM said before leaving for Ramban from Srinagar: “Reports from Ramban suggest that the situation is not good, especially around the highway. The Deputy CM and local MLAs are also present in this area. Efforts are on to open the highway. Along with that we are also bringing relief to residential areas hit by landslides.” Three persons were killed in Ramban after a house collapsed. Several parts of the UT were hit by torrential rain, high-velocity wind, lightning and hail between Saturday evening and Sunday. Scores of houses, commercial establishments and vehicles were damaged. Assuring residents that there is no need to hoard essentials, Omar said the government has issued “clear directions” to its officers to take strict action wherever there are reports of black marketing. “People should bring such practices to the notice of the government,” he said. While Jammu-Srinagar highway is closed, the alternate route to Kashmir via the Mughal Road is open, he said. “If needed, we can use that to bring essential items to Srinagar. For now, I believe the main highway will be opened in 2-3 days,” he said. Meanwhile, the Army organised langers for stranded people.
