Portion of protection wall caves in on Jammu-Srinagar highway, traffic disrupted

Banihal (Ramban), Oct 17: Vehicular movement on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was disrupted after a portion of a protection wall collapsed in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Friday.

Around 40 metres of the wall, along with the adjoining Sawni panchayat link road, caved in on Thursday night, leading to partial closure of the four-lane highway.

Project Director of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Shubham Yadav, said a 40-metre section of the back wall had been damaged. “One tube of the four-lane highway has been closed. The cause of the erosion is yet to be ascertained,” he said.

Yadav added that restoration work has been launched to make the affected section trafficable as soon as possible. Currently, vehicles are being diverted through the single operational tube, resulting in slow movement on the stretch.

The collapse also damaged part of the Sawni panchayat link road, affecting local connectivity.

Officials from the NHAI, district administration, and traffic department are on-site, monitoring the situation to prevent further damage and ensure the smooth flow of traffic on the strategic highway connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country.