Jammu, Mar 20: To build a safer and healthier community, the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) on Friday organised a successful Nasha Mukt (drug-free) campaign along with a sanitation awareness drive in Ward number 20, Gandhi Nagar.

The event focussed on the well-being of residents by addressing the important issues of substance abuse and public hygiene under the vision of a “Clean and healthy Jammu.”

The programme was held in the presence of Health Officer JMC, Dr Vinod Sharma and Sanitation Officer, Parshotam Kumar.

They were joined by the hardworking field sanitation staff and the IEC teams from JMC and Swaaha, who worked together to share vital social messages with the local public.

This effort aimed to bring the community closer to the municipal administration, showing that real change happens when everyone takes responsibility for their neighbourhood, he

During the session, Dr Sharma spoke about how a clean environment and social health go hand-in-hand.

He gave clear directions for the upkeep of public facilities, stressing that all public washrooms must have proper lighting and be kept perfectly clean to ensure they are safe for everyone to use.

Dr Sharma also encouraged residents to take pride in their surroundings, noting that keeping an area clean was a strong step toward preventing social problems.

A major part of the day was the firm stand taken against drug addiction. Using the slogan “Say no to drugs, say yes to life,” officials talked to the public about the harm drugs caused to families and the entire community.

The campaign saw a lot of support from local residents, who promised to help the JMC in making their ward both drug-free and beautiful.

“By combining the Nasha Mukt Bharat message with the Swachh Bharat Mission, the JMC continues to work for the overall health and happiness of the people of Jammu,” it was said.

Ramban, Mar 20: Despite inclement weather and intermittent rainfall, the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway (NH-44)—the only all-weather road link connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country—remained open for two-way traffic on Friday. However, vehicular movement was slow, particularly along the Ramban–Banihal stretch, due to adverse weather and ongoing road widening works.

Officials from the Traffic Department said that, subject to fair weather and favourable road conditions, the highway is expected to remain open for two-way movement of light, medium and heavy vehicles on Saturday as well.

Earlier in the day, traffic continued to ply from both directions, though movement remained sluggish between Udhampur and Banihal owing to intermittent rain and fog. The worst-affected stretches were between Maroog and Kishtwari Pather, where single-lane sections and four-laning construction have led to bottlenecks.

Authorities said vehicular movement was further disrupted after a few heavy vehicles broke down, causing temporary congestion in the affected areas. Despite these challenges, hundreds of passenger vehicles, including private cars and buses, managed to travel on the highway, while load carriers continued their movement at a reduced pace.

Traffic authorities have issued an advisory urging passengers and light motor vehicle operators to travel only during daylight hours. Night travel has been discouraged due to the risk of landslides, shooting stones and ongoing construction activity along the Ramban–Banihal stretch.

Commuters have also been advised to check the latest traffic updates with Traffic Control Units in Jammu, Srinagar, Udhampur and Ramban before starting their journey. Authorities said the situation is being closely monitored to ensure safe and smooth movement along the highway.

Meanwhile, the Kishtwar–Sinthan Top–Anantnag highway (NH-244) remains temporarily closed due to the accumulation of snow, officials said.

Jammu, Mar 20: As heavy snowfall disrupted traffic movement in several parts of the Jammu region, the Border Roads Organisation has intensified snow clearance on the Mughal Road and the Basohli–Bani–Bhaderwah road, officials said on Thursday.

Following heavy snowfall in the area on Tuesday, Mughal Road, connecting the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri in the Jammu region with south Kashmir’s Shopian, was closed for vehicular traffic.

“Snow clearance is underway on Mughal Road in Poonch after heavy snowfall disrupted connectivity. The Border Roads Organisation’s 79 RCC team is working round the clock to reopen the route swiftly,” officials said.

The BRO’s 52 RCC has cleared the road from Hirpora to Peer Ki Gali, they said, adding that the heavy snowfall on Thursday night made the operation difficult.

The BRO’s Border Roads Task Force under Project ‘Sampark’ also carried out an operation to ensure the recovery of an SUV trapped in heavy snow on Mughal Road, they said.

After heavy snowfall disrupted traffic movement on the Basohli–Bani–Bhaderwah road, the BRO has intensified the clearance operations, officials said, adding that fresh snowfall took place on Thursday.

Doda district has remained cut off from Kathua for the past two days due to heavy snowfall, with additional deployment of men and machinery to restore traffic, they said.

Another operation is underway to clear a massive landslide at Malai Nallah on the Reasi–Mahore road in Reasi district, they added.

There were multiple landslides on the Reasi–Arnas–Mahore road at Chassana, Malai Nallah and Kansauli, and efforts are being made by the BRO to clear the route, officials said.