Udhampur,, September 16, (Scoop News)- After sustained effort by the BRO (Border Road Organisation) and Army Engineers, the Jammu Srinagar National Highway has been opened on 16 September. Multiple landslides were cleared with simultaneous deployment of engineers and specialist equipment coordinated by the Chief Engineer of HQ Northern Commmand based at Udhampur to restore this vital road. Earlier the Military Engineers restored the Land Link to the beleaguered Kashmir Valley from the Ladakh side on 9 Sep and cleared the Sinthan Pass route via Kishtwar on 13 September.
The major impediment to opening the NH was a massive landslide at Ramsoo near Ramban, where over 300 metres of road had been entirely washed away leaving a sheer cliff of 80 degrees slope. The entire hillside had to be excavated afresh and the effort had to be further intensified due to a repeated landslide on 12 September. Undeterred, the engineers worked night and day to make a new passage through the mountain slope. Work is now on to construct a new bridge over the Ans River near Budhal, which will be completed in two days while several Army bridges have already been constructed and over 40 landslides cleared expeditiously by the Sappers(as the Military Engineers are called). Clearance of remaining debris and slush on several roads in the State continues in an effort to improve trafficability on all road links in the State.
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