Closure forces diversion through crumbling link road; commuters aghast
Baramulla, Jan 08 :
The Baramulla–Uri National Highway remained closed on Thursday after another landslide struck the stretch – the third such incident reported in the last 20 days, causing severe inconvenience to commuters.
Officials told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that a fresh landslide hit the highway in the morning, forcing authorities to immediately halt traffic movement on the route as a precautionary measure. Only emergency vehicles were allowed to pass, while all routine traffic was stopped to avoid any untoward incident, they said.
An official stated that road clearance operations were launched soon after the incident, with personnel and machinery mobilised to remove debris and stabilise the affected area. “The highway is expected to be made motorable again from the evening hours, subject to completion of the clearance work and assessment of slope safety,” he said.
The closure of the main Baramulla–Uri National Highway compelled authorities to divert vehicles through the dilapidated Khadniyar–Gantamulla road, causing immense hardship to commuters.
Locals and passengers, however, complained that the alternate route is in poor condition, with potholes and narrow stretches, making travel risky and time-consuming, especially for passenger vehicles and load carriers.
The fresh landslide marks the third such incident in just 20 days on the Baramulla–Uri National Highway, following two earlier slides that also triggered full traffic halts and diversions through alternate routes, with officials attributing both to ongoing construction activity and hill-cutting—(KNO)