The strategic 270-kilometre Jammu-Srinagar national highway was reopened for light motor vehicles after road restoration work was carried out on Saturday.
The arterial road — the only all-weather road linking Kashmir to the rest of the country — was closed on Thursday evening following heavy snowfall and multiple landslides in Ramban district.
Heavy rains had triggered shooting stones, mudslides and landslides at a dozen places, including Kishtwari Pather, Moum Passi, Hingni, Panthiyal, Mehar and Dalwas, while snowfall between Qazigund and Ramsu left the road slippery.
A side of the road near Mehar has caved in, while a major landslide has blocked one tube of the Kunfer-Peerah tunnel.
The road repair was hampered by continuous rains on Friday, officials said.
They said restoration of the 66-km Banihal-Nashri stretch was intensified on Saturday morning after the weather conditions improved.
“Light motor vehicles carrying passengers are allowed from Jammu towards Srinagar, and from the Valley towards Jammu,” a traffic department spokesperson said after the road was reopened.
He cautioned the commuters to follow lane discipline and avoid overtaking, which causes congestion.
“The passengers are advised to take the highway only during day-time and avoid unnecessary halting between Ramban and Banihal since there are apprehensions of landslides and shooting stones. The heavy motor vehicles shall be allowed later, after a thorough assessment of the condition of the road,” the spokesperson said.
Deputy Commissioner Ramban Baseer-ul-Haq Chaudhary said there are at least 16 locations along the 66-km road stretch that were rendered vulnerable by the rains.
“The road has been cleared in almost all the places, except in Mehar, where the width has shrunk after the sinking of the side portion. This spot is a challenge. The concerned agency will address this in the next two weeks,” he said
The DC said a landslide at Peerah will not hamper the traffic, which has been diverted through the other tube.
“All the stranded vehicles have been cleared,” he said, advising commuters to follow the traffic advisories before taking the highway.
Meanwhile, various parts of Jammu and Kashmir witnessed moderate to heavy rainfall in the past 24 hours.
A MeT official said Kulgam in south Kashmir received the highest rainfall of 23.0 mm, followed by Ganderbal with 18.5 mm and Pulwama with 15.0 mm.
Qazigund received rainfall of 12.2 mm, followed by Kokarnag with 11.2 mm, Pahalgam 7 mm, Srinagar 1.4 mm, and Gulmarg with 2.6 mm, he said.
In the last 24 hours, the tourist resorts of Gulmarg and Pahalgam received 2.5 cms and 3 cm of snowfall.
Jammu region saw intense rainfall in the last 24 hours, with 21.0 mm recorded in Udhampur, 16.5 mm in Ramban, 19 mm in Banihal, and 7.6 mm in Jammu.
The recent wet spell across Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh significantly reduced the rainfall deficit, bringing it down from nearly 80 percent to 42 percent.
The weather department predicted generally cloudy conditions with light rain or snow at isolated places during the late night of March 2.
“On March 3, light to moderate rain and snow are expected at most places, with moderate to heavy snowfall likely in the higher reaches of North and Central Kashmir,” the MeT official said.
He said weather is expected to remain generally dry from March 4 to 9.
“A fresh spell of rain and snow is expected between March 10 and 12,” the MeT official said.
The MeT has also issued an advisory, advising the tourists, travellers and transporters to follow administration and traffic advisory.
“Farmers should suspend irrigation & other farm operations till March 4. Landslides, rock fall and shooting stones are expected at vulnerable places,” the advisory reads.