Jammu and Kashmir floods: Nearly 12,000 km of damaged roads to restore

Nearly 12,000 kilometres of road network — including the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway — were damaged in the recent floods and landslides across the union territory.

Restoration work on the severely affected Udhampur–Ramban section is currently being carried out on a war footing and is expected to be completed by this evening, 9 September, according to authorities.

"Out of the total road length of 42,000 km, around 12,000 km suffered damage due to recent flash floods," said Anil Kumar Singh, principal secretary of the public works department.

He made the statement during a presentation on the extent of infrastructure damage and current road conditions to deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary on 8 September.

Officials from the NHAI (National Highways Authority of India) also briefed the deputy CM on the status of the Jammu–Srinagar highway. They stated that the Udhampur–Ramban stretch had suffered significant damage but would be restored shortly. Meanwhile, traffic on the Dhar–Udhampur section will operate in a single direction from 9 September.

They have further disclosed that, of the 105 bridges along the highway, three were damaged. All three have now been restored.

Deputy CM Choudhary took serious note of the collapse of the Seri–Kath bridge in Kathua during the recent floods, raising questions about its failure despite being constructed only a few years ago. He has directed the NHAI officials to explain the reason behind the collapse.

Choudhary also instructed the NHAI to carry out a comprehensive design and structural audit of all bridges built by the authority.

In addition, he urged the public works department to coordinate closely with other concerned agencies to ensure the swift restoration of damaged infrastructure.

According to a BRO official, roads such as the Rajouri–Thannamandi Road, Surankote Road, Reasi–Arnas–Mahore, Rajouri–Kandi–Budhal, Pouni–Sair–Rajouri, Beeri–Pethan and Jhulas, and Akhnoor–Poonch have now been restored. However, work on the Budhal–Mahore–Gul Road is still ongoing and is expected to be completed within a week.

The current conditions of the Kishtwar–Chastoi, Doda–Kishtwar and Kishtwar–Sinthan roads were also reviewed. Engineers reported that most of these routes have undergone temporary restoration, while work on the remaining portions is progressing urgently.

Given the widespread damage to road and bridge infrastructure caused by the recent floods, the deputy CM has instructed the NHAI to carry out a safety audit of all bridges, even those that stand without damage at present. This includes assessing the structural design and alignment using scientific methods, to better safeguard the ecologically sensitive mountainous terrain along these highways.

He emphasised that all restoration and construction targets must be met within the set deadlines. Any executing agencies or contractors found to be negligent or lackadaisical should face strict action under the relevant norms, including blacklisting.