- No vehicular movement on Jmu-Sgr highway tomorrow: Traffic Police
- Mughal Road, Sinthan Pass, Sonamarg-Gumri closed
Jammu Tawi, Jan 24: The Jammu–Srinagar National Highway remained closed for the second consecutive day on Saturday due to slippery road conditions caused by fresh snowfall, leaving over 3,000 vehicles stranded on the vital arterial road.
Officials told the news agency that incessant snowfall for the second consecutive night on the Ramban–Banihal and Qazigund stretch rendered the highway non-motorable.
“Snow accumulation and sub-zero temperatures during night hours made the road extremely slippery,” an official said, adding that men and machinery have been pressed into service to restore traffic movement at the earliest.
Many tourists were stranded on Qazigund side of the highway and were forced to return towards safer locations, he said.
Thousands of vehicles, including those stranded at Udhampur and Dhar Road, have remained stuck since the highway was closed on Friday evening. “More than 3,000 vehicles, including trucks carrying essential commodities, are stranded,” the officials said.
Meanwhile, other key routes, including the Mughal Road connecting Poonch–Rajouri with Shopian, Kishtwar–Sinthan–Kokernag road, and Srinagar–Sonamarg–Gumri road, also remained closed due to heavy snow accumulation.
IGP Traffic J&K, M. Suleman Choudhary, said that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and other concerned agencies are working on a war footing to restore the highway.
“There has been heavy snowfall, particularly in south Kashmir areas and at the south portal of the Navyug Tunnel, including Banihal, Ramsu and Nachlana. Due to this, the stretch from Navyug Tunnel to Banihal and Ramsu has been reduced to a single lane,” he said.
The IGP said clearance work is underway, but the road is yet to be restored. “Because of snowfall and cold night conditions, the road has become extremely slippery,” he said.
In a traffic advisory issued for Sunday, the Traffic Police said, “Jammu–Srinagar National Highway is still closed due to snow accumulation between Nachlana and the Navyug Tunnel. Jammu–Doda road is also closed. Snow clearance work is in progress.”
“Tomorrow, no vehicular movement shall be allowed from Nagrota (Jammu) towards Doda, Ramban, Banihal and Srinagar, and vice-versa,” the advisory said.
Commuters belonging to Katra, Reasi and Udhampur towns have been advised to carry valid photo identity cards to facilitate smooth movement, it added—(KNO).
Train service witness huge rush as highway remains closed
Anantnag, Jan 24: As the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained closed for the second consecutive day due to slippery conditions, train services witnessed heavy rush with coaches jam-packed. The railways arranged two additional reserved special trains to cater to the surge in passengers.
This reporter visited the highway and the railway station and found tourists stranded on the highway at Qazigund, who later returned to Anantnag railway station and boarded overcrowded trains.
Ishfaq, a tourist from Jaipur, told the news agency that all roads in the Kashmir Valley were closed, forcing them to travel by train. Mohammad Asralan, also from Jaipur, said they have been stuck on the highway for the last two days and decided to travel by train due to the on-going disruption.
Shauita, a passenger from Noida, said they were still unsure about their travel plan as the station was overcrowded.
Railways said that two reserved special trains have been planned owing to the closure of the highway and the heavy rush of passengers.
“In view of extremely heavy passenger rush between Katra and Srinagar due to closure of roads and flights owing to inclement weather, it is proposed to run suitable reserved special trains on the route of the non-running Vande Bharat on 27th and 28th January 2026 between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Srinagar and vice-versa, with en-route stoppage at Banihal, so that at least two train services remain available on the section,” the communication said—(KNO).
