Landslide blocks Jmu-Srgr national highway, Scores of structures damaged by landslide in Kangan

Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway was suspended on Tuesday after a landslide in Ramban district, officials said.

The landslide struck the highway at Sher Bibi near Banihal at around 2am, leaving the Kashmir-bound trucks stranded, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Traffic), Asghar Malik, said.

“Despite shooting stones, a major part of the debris has already been cleared. It will take hardly over an hour to clear the remaining part of the road once the rocks stop rolling down,” the officer said.

He said no fresh traffic was allowed from Srinagar side on Tuesday morning.

A traffic department official in Jammu said, “We have allowed light motor vehicles in the morning but after getting information about continuous shooting stones, the traffic was stopped for the time being.”

Meanwhile, at least two dozen structures including residential houses, shops, and cow sheds were completely damaged after a massive landslide hit Rezan village of tehsil Gund in Ganderbal district on Sunday evening.

Locals said that the landslide occurred at around 7 pm on Sunday, causing massive damage to the public property.

They said that the incident created panic and chaos in the area.

However, there was no loss of life.

Soon after the incident, locals, Police, and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) launched a rescue operation during which several families were evacuated and shifted from the landslide-hit area.

The Army, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and other agencies joined the rescue operation on Monday.

The landslide also blocked the Srinagar-Leh Highway, causing disruption to the movement of traffic.

The civil and Police administration officials including Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal Shyambir Singh along with the Superintendent of Police Ganderbal Nikhil Borkar, Sub Divisional Magistrate Kangan Javaid Ahmad, Tehsildar Gund Javid Iqbal and SHO Gund Arshid Ahmad visited the landslide-hit area to assess the situation.

SDM Kangan, Tehsildar, Gund and SHO Gund were monitoring the rescue operation since Sunday evening.

Sub Divisional Magistrate Kangan Javid Ahmad told KIF that as per the initial assessment at least two dozen structures including five residential houses, 15 shops, and five cowsheds got completely damaged while huge livestock including cows, horses, and sheep died in the incident.

The SDM said that besides damage to houses and livestock there has been damage to the trees that have been uprooted by the landslide.

He said that men and machinery had been put on job to clear the debris and to restore the traffic movement on the Srinagar-Leh Highway, which has been blocked by the massive landslide.

“BRO (Project Beacon) and civil administration are on the job to clear the road of the debris on a war footing basis,” the official said. “We have also sought machinery from Z-Morh tunnel.”

A BRO said that the landslide that occurred at Rezan area was massive and that it would take at least a day to clear the debris.

Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal Shyambir told KIF that immediate relief had been given to the affected families and whatever possible support from administration would be initiated.

He said that an inquiry would be initiated on what led to the incident.

Meanwhile, locals alleged that the landslide occurred due to the negligence of the Z-Morh Tunnel’s construction company that is carrying the tunnel construction work in the area without taking any preventive measures.

Locals said that the land in the area started sinking due to blasting and other construction work on the Z-Morh Tunnel for the last two years.

They said that despite repeated pleas, the construction company failed to protect the public property.

Meanwhile, Civil Society Tehsil Gund (CSTG) requested the administration to provide relief to the affected families and rehabilitate them.