Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the sole all-weather thoroughfare connecting the Kashmir Valley to the rest of India, has been shut down for all vehicular traffic, officials confirmed on Friday
The suspension was enacted to allow for carriageway-widening operations and the removal of precarious, loose overhanging rock debris at high-risk zones along the Udhampur-Banihal stretch. This decision followed the early-morning passage of a convoy of roughly 1,600 pilgrims, who departed from the Jammu base camp for the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir at approximately 2:42 am.
A traffic police advisory specified that due to the halt in traffic on this route, all types of vehicles are barred from moving between Jakheni in Udhampur and the Navyug tunnel in Banihal, located within Ramban district. This restriction is aimed at facilitating necessary restoration work along that segment.
Authorities acted on requests from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), leading the district magistrates of Udhampur and Ramban to issue separate orders sanctioning the work, citing the paramount importance of commuter and driver safety on this strategic roadway.
Officials detailed that the ongoing tasks include expanding the hillside roadway at Ladha and Samroli, alongside clearing unstable, dangling debris near Gangroo and Kishtwari Pather on the Udhampur-Banihal section of the highway.
The advisory further prohibits any vehicles from advancing beyond Nagrota in Jammu towards Srinagar, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Patnitop, and other areas, while also blocking movement in the reverse direction past Qazigund towards Ramban, Udhampur, and Jammu.
However, travelers heading to the towns of Katra, Reasi, and Udhampur have been advised to carry their photo identification cards to ensure smooth passage through the Nagrota checkpoint.
