Life hit in Jammu; Srinagar highway shut for 5th day, rail traffic halted

Life across Jammu division remained severely disrupted for the fifth straight day on Saturday, 30 August, as the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway stayed shut following multiple landslides triggered by heavy rains and flash floods on 26 August. Rail services also remain suspended, with officials cautioning that full restoration may take weeks.

Meanwhile, 10 people were killed and three reported missing after a landslide and cloudburst struck Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi and Ramban districts overnight.

Officials said seven people lost their lives when a landslide flattened a house in Reasi’s Mahore area following heavy overnight rains on Friday.

"Among the seven dead are a couple and their five children. Heavy rain in the Badder village of Mahore in Reasi triggered the landslide. A rescue operation is underway. A massive landslide occurred at Mahore village, where a temporary dwelling (Kacha House) was hit. In this incident, seven people have died," they said.

The deceased family members have been identified as Nazir Ahmed, 38, resident of Baddar village, Mahore, Wazira Begum, 35, and their children Bilal Ahmed, 13, Mohd Mustafa, 11, Mohd Adil, eight, Mohd Mubarak, six and Mohd Wasim, five.

More than 2,000 vehicles are stranded on the 270-km highway, which is blocked at several stretches between Jakhani and Chenani in Udhampur. Deputy Commissioner Udhampur Saloni Rai said restoration work was underway and the road could reopen by Saturday evening. For now, no traffic is being allowed on the route.

The Mughal Road, linking Poonch in Jammu to Shopian in Kashmir, is the only alternative open to the Valley, but movement has been restricted to one-way traffic. The Kishtwar-Sinthan-Anantnag road is also open for light vehicles, though several inter-district routes remain cut off, leaving dozens of villages isolated. On the Jammu-Pathankot highway, one tube each of the Lakhanpur-Madhopur and Sahar Khad (Vijaypur) bridges has been damaged, further hampering connectivity.

Power supply has been restored in most urban areas, but rural pockets across Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Doda, Ramban, Reasi, and Udhampur continue to face outages. Many areas of Old Jammu City are also struggling with an acute water shortage, prompting protests despite tanker services. Pilgrimage to the Vaishno Devi shrine remains suspended for the fifth straight day as fresh rains lashed Katra.

Rail traffic remains badly hit, with extensive damage to tracks and bridges across the division. Sources said Bridge 17 (Kathua–Madhopur) and Bridge 137 (Hiranagar–Ghagwal) sustained major damage, and full restoration of double-track services could take three to four weeks. Except for two special trains run earlier this week, no regular train has arrived or departed from Jammu, Katra, or Udhampur stations for four days. Authorities are now considering running limited special trains on a restored single line to Delhi and UP-Bihar to ease passenger distress.

Meanwhile, the meteorological department has forecast light to moderate rain across Jammu division between 30 August and 2 September, warning of possible flash floods, landslides, and shooting stones in vulnerable areas. Residents have been urged to stay away from rivers, streams, and unstable structures.

With IANS inputs