JAMMU, Aug 28: Fifteen houses were damaged and dozens of families displaced after a massive landslide struck Sunjwan area of Jammu today, even as the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained blocked for the third consecutive day and the Vaishno Devi Yatra stood suspended amid ongoing rescue and restoration efforts.As per sources, a fresh landslide struck Lower Bermini in Sunjwan area today, flattening around 15 houses and forcing the evacuation of dozens of families. Police teams, assisted by locals, immediately launched rescue and evacuation efforts in Sunjwan, while SDPO East and the Tehsildar rushed to the spot to monitor the situation. The civil administration also shifted 15 to 20 additional families from the affected locality to the Government Higher Secondary School, Sunjwan, as a precautionary measure.
According to official details, the damaged houses belonged to Murad Ali (son of Chibba), Waseem (son of Murad Ali), Jan Bibi (wife of Fazal Hussain), Maqbool (son of Fazal Hussain), Shameem (wife of Mitthu), Javid (son of Hyderabad), Shah Mohd (son of Shamshudin), Muzamil (son of Zubair), Tariq (son of Shafiq), Shani (wife of Faqartulla) and Akhtar (parentage not known), while four more houses belonged to outsiders. Fortunately, no loss of life was reported.
Meanwhile, rescue teams at Adhkuwari on Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine, where a landslide had occurred on Tuesday, continued to comb the area. No bodies were recovered today, though sources said the operation was still on. The pilgrimage to the revered shrine remained suspended and the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has extended the suspension for three more days.
Adding to the crisis, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway – the 270-km-long all-weather link between Kashmir and the rest of the country – was closed for the third consecutive day due to multiple landslides between Jakheni and Chenani in Udhampur. Officials said over 500 to 600 vehicles were stranded en route.
“Highway is closed for vehicular movement from Jakheni in Udhampur towards Srinagar due to damage at several places. No vehicular movement shall be allowed from Nagrota in Jammu towards Reasi, Chenani, Patnitop, Doda, Ramban, Banihal and Srinagar,” a Traffic Police official said.
According to the traffic advisory, the Kishtwar-Sinthan-Anantnag highway also remained closed, while only light motor vehicles (LMVs) are being allowed on the Mughal Road between Shopian in Kashmir and Poonch in Jammu, subject to clearance from road maintenance agencies.
“LMVs and private cars shall be allowed from both sides on Mughal Road, i.e., from Jammu towards Srinagar and vice versa via Poonch. These vehicles shall be allowed from Behramgala in Poonch and Herpora in Shopian between 0700 hours and 1800 hours,” the advisory said.
The weather fury has snapped road connectivity in several districts. In Kathua, the Bani Sub-Division has been completely cut off after a 150-metre stretch of road between Bhoond and Bani caved in, six kilometres from Bhoond. In Ramban, the vital link between Kala Pani and Batti was washed away, isolating Sub-Division Gool and several adjoining areas.
In Doda, more than 80 rural roads, particularly in Bhaderwah and Assar, were damaged or washed away, severing links with remote villages. A PMGSY official said that while 90 percent of the damaged roads have been restored, the remaining 10 percent – severely hit – would take another two to three days.
Reports from Reasi revealed that while the Reasi-Mahore road has been restored and the Reasi-Katra-Jammu road temporarily opened, other key routes including Mahore-Budhal Road via Sungri, Mahore-Gool Road and Mahore-Gulabgarh Road remained blocked.
In Udhampur district, land sinking near Government High School Kaldi in Kersial village forced the evacuation of several families after police teams swiftly relocated them to safer places.
The communication network across J&K is also struggling. Telecom companies have failed to restore services completely, leaving several areas in Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban and Doda without connectivity. Bani Sub-Division has had no phone services for three days, while even parts of Jammu city outskirts are facing mobile network disruption.
Power supply remained severely affected as well. Several villages and towns across the Union Territory have been facing blackout for three days. Even in Old Jammu City, localities such as Panjtirthi, Jain Bazaar and adjoining areas are without electricity for the third consecutive day due to damage to infrastructure.
Chief Engineer, Power Development Department (Electricity M&RE Wing), K K Thapa told Excelsior that men and machinery are working round the clock to restore supply. He assured that all areas of Jammu city will get electricity back by 8:30 AM tomorrow. He further informed that power to Grid Stations at Canal, Pounichack, Katra Reasi, Rajouri, Draba, Jourian and Barn will remain off on August 29 and 30 between 6 am and 6 pm, affecting supply to Reasi, Rajouri, Poonch, parts of Jammu district, Katra and Railway Traction System, though essential installations will receive phased supply.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has forecast another wet spell, warning of light to moderate rainfall at scattered to fairly widespread places between August 30 and September 1, with chances of heavy showers or thundershowers in some districts. From September 2 to 6, brief spells of rain or thundershowers are expected at a few places.
Meanwhile, an official statement said, “a few media reports have been circulating since yesterday alleging that Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra was allowed to proceed in complete disregard to weather advisories and at the expense of pilgrim safety. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) expresses deep sorrow and pain at the unfortunate loss of lives of pilgrims in the natural disaster on 26th August, and places on record the correct factual position to dispel the impression being created by the insinuating media reports.”
The Board categorically denies the allegations as false and baseless. The weather conditions had remained clear and conducive for pilgrimage on 26th August morning until around 10:00 AM, during which time the yatra proceeded normally, so much so that even the helicopter services were operating seamlessly during that time. In fact, the Board had made elaborate arrangements of positioning its enforcement staff and Disaster Management Task Force along the entire track as per its established standard operating procedure,” the statement said.
The Board monitored weather updates closely and as soon as the forecast for moderate rains was received, registrations were immediately suspended. Majority of the yatris were moving down the track after completing darshan at the Holy Cave Shrine. Thousands of yatris en-route had smoothly completed their pilgrimage back to Katra by then.
However, the statement said, many pilgrims stayed on in the shelter sheds en-route at designated halt points on the old track. These are those points/ stretches which have never been susceptible to landslides in the past. These halt points have been specifically created in the safest zones of the track, for pilgrim safety.
