Udhampur , 09 September: Restoration work on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) is progressing rapidly, with authorities aiming to reopen the crucial road for light vehicles by this evening. Barring any adverse weather, trucks carrying essential supplies are expected to be allowed through by tomorrow morning.
The highway has been completely blocked since the night of September 2nd following a significant “hill mass movement” near Thard in the Udhampur district.
Explaining the severity of the incident, RS Yadav, Regional Director of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for Jammu & Kashmir, stated that a massive volume of debris—falling from a height of approximately 300 meters and 150-200 meters in depth—completely buried both tubes of the highway.
The restoration efforts faced significant setbacks due to incessant rainfall. Yadav described the difficult conditions: “This is just clay soil; until it gets time to settle, it won’t break and won’t gain strength. Even after working for 10-12 hours, if it rains for just half an hour, all our work is completely washed away.”
With a break in the weather on September 7th, crews have been able to work uninterrupted. The NHAI has deployed 11 large machines operating 24/7 to clear the 150-meter stretch of landslide debris.Yadav assured that teams are working day and night with the sole objective of restoring traffic at the earliest to alleviate public inconvenience. Officials remain cautiously optimistic, with the reopening schedule contingent on the weather holding.
