The 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway, a critical lifeline for the region, has turned into a scene of chaos and frustration for commuters, who face a gruelling ordeal as what used to be a nearly five-hour journey just three weeks ago now drags on for more than 12 hours due to damaged road and poor management.
The highway – the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country – suffered extensive damages at several places, especially on the stretch between Nashri and Udhampur, in the aftermath of record rainfall on August 26 and 27.
Even as the authorities implemented a one-way traffic system after reopening the highway three days ago, lack of proper management has only added to the misery, the commuters who took the arterial road told.
The truckers, who are officially not allowed on the road for the time being, have completely choked one side of it almost all along the highway, with continuous work on the damaged portions leading to severe traffic congestion.
The situation is worsened by complete disregard for lane discipline, reckless overtaking, and near-total absence of traffic regulation.
The commuters, however, were all praise for the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), which has managed to create a diversion between the severely-damaged Balli Nalla and Thared in Udhampur district where both sides of the highway are completely buried under a moving hill.
“The surface is still not completely stable and we have to keep our men and machinery ready to keep the traffic moving,” an NHAI official supervising the operations near Thared told.
He said they are faced with a challenging situation to keep the highway open in view of major damages at four places between Nashri and Udhampur, particularly in the Samroli area where portions of the highway have been washed away, besides the complete blocking of one tube of a tunnel due to a major landslide near Peerah.
“It will take months for complete restoration of the highway. At least three months are required to raise and stabilise a bed where the road has been washed away,” the NHAI official said.
A traffic official said they are regulating one-way light motor vehicle traffic on the highway at present.
“Light motor vehicle traffic was allowed on trial basis on September 11 but due to the slippery surface of the road, vehicles got jammed and were pushed with excavators and loaders throughout the day.
“Due to the wet bed of this stretch (Thared), heavy motor vehicle movement cannot be permitted until the bed dries up,” the official said.
However, the situation on the ground speaks of a different scenario altogether with trucks also seen plying alongside passenger vehicles, including buses.
According to data available with the toll plazas, about 2,500 trucks, including fruit-laden vehicles, plied on the highway during the 16 hours from 4 pm on Friday till 8 am on Saturday despite the restrictions in place.
“What used to be a smooth five-hour journey has turned into a nightmare… We left Srinagar for Jammu at 8.30 am on Friday, knowing that the traffic from the opposite direction is restricted as per the traffic advisory.
“We were welcomed by a tube blocked by hundreds of trucks in the Qazigund sector, leaving the other tube congested on both sides. With no lane discipline, the road has become extremely dangerous,” Mohd Altaf, a doctor travelling with his family, said.
He said they had to drive on the wrong side of the highway for many kilometres in the Banihal-Ramban sector as “there was no sign board indicating diversion or traffic police to guide”.
According to Jasbir Singh, who was heading for Chandigarh, the real test of patience for the drivers begins after crossing Peerah towards Nashri, where traffic is moving at a snail’s pace with the road maintenance agency frequently closing the stretch to undertake necessary works.
Singh said he reached Nashri around 11.30 am and managed to cross the 3-km stretch only around 7.30 pm.
“The trouble was far from over as trucks choked one tube and also one of the lanes of another tube in Udhampur, which resulted in complete chaos.
“It took more than two hours to clear a half-a-kilometre stretch in Jhakani because of poor traffic mismanagement,” Ravi Kumar Sharma, a businessman from Jammu, said.
The traffic department had to take action against the violators to maintain discipline on the highway, Sharma said.
“It was unimaginable that truckers were allowed to completely block one tube and transgress on the other as well. Udhampur is an important town and you could see ambulances caught in the traffic jam,” he said.