Landslide blocks Jammu-Rajouri national highway, restoration in progress

The Jammu-Rajouri National Highway was blocked on Tuesday due to a landslide, bringing traffic to a standstill.

Restoration work is underway to remove debris and clear the road for vehicle movement.

The country is experiencing heavy monsoon rainfall, with hilly areas being the worst affected, especially in Uttarakhand. Cloudbursts, floods, and landslides have caused significant loss of life and property.

Earlier, roads were blocked in Nandprayag in Chamoli district due to a landslide following rainfall, days after the cloudburst in Uttarkashi, which left behind a trail of destruction

Speaking to ANI, District Magistrate of Chamoli district, Sandeep Tiwari, said that work is going on to open the road blocked due to the landslide in Nandprayag due to rain.

He added that apart from this, all the roads in the district are smooth.

The bridge connecting Uttarkashi to Harsil has been reconstructed to facilitate easy movement of machinery and relief materials in the aftermath of the cloudburst and flash floods that caused mass destruction in Dharali and Harsil of Uttarkashi district on August 5, officials said.

A massive mudslide struck Dharali village in the Kheer Gad area near Harsil, triggering a sudden flow of debris and water through the settlements on August 5. The cloudburst led to flash floods in the high-altitude villages of Dharali. Several houses were reported to have been swept away.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Director General of Police Deepam Seth on Sunday reviewed the first phase of relief and rescue operations being carried out under the direction of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami after the natural disaster in the Dharali and Harshil areas of Uttarkashi.

DGP Seth conducted a high-level review of the upcoming action plan at Police Headquarters in Dehradun. All senior police officers and team leaders of various branches of police, SDRF, fire service, PAC, telecom, etc., who were sent for effective conduct of relief and rescue operations in Uttarkashi district, attended the meeting.

During the meeting, the DGP took updated information of relief and rescue operations from all the officers, ADG L/O, IG PAC, IG SDRF, IG Telecom, IG Fire, IG L/O, IG SDRF, IG Garhwal Range, DIG L/O, etc., and appreciated the efforts made so far by the forces working at the site of the incident.