Jammu, Sep 06: A search operation was launched after a suspected Pakistani drone was spotted hovering over vital installations in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Saturday.

The drone was noticed at an altitude of over 700 metres moving from west to east over a military garrison in the Bari Brahmana area around 9.35 pm on Friday, they said.

An alert was immediately sounded and quick reaction teams of the Army were activated.

Police were also informed and a joint search operation was launched to ensure that there was no airdropping of weapons or narcotics, the officials said.

Jammu, Sep 05:  An Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) visited Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district on Friday to assess the damage caused by recent heavy rains and landslides, and suggested strengthening community-based disaster preparedness and prioritising the restoration of critical infrastructure.

The team was led by Colonel Kirti Pratap Singh, Joint Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), an official spokesperson said. The team visited Udhampur and Reasi on Friday. It visited Kathua district on Thursday.

The team inspected several affected sites, including the Domel-Katra highway, the landslide-hit Ballani bridge and the slide site near the Shani temple in Katra, the spokesperson said.

Officials said the team also visited agricultural fields to review crop loss and interacted with farmers to understand their concerns.

The IMCT members were accompanied by Additional District Development Commissioner Sukhdev Singh Samyal, Additional Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Katra, Piyush Dhotra and senior officers from various departments, who briefed them on damage to infrastructure, housing, crops and other sectors.

Later, the team attended a review meeting at the Spiritual Growth Centre in Katra, where Reasi Deputy Commissioner Nidhi Malik presented details of losses to lives, livestock, crops, houses, government property and community assets. She also apprised the team of the ongoing restoration works, relief operations and rehabilitation measures.

The officials said relief camps have been set up at Mahore, Jameslan and Sarh for the affected population, where food, shelter, medical aid and other essentials are being provided.

The IMCT suggested strengthening community-based disaster preparedness, ensuring timely compensation to affected families and prioritising restoration of critical infrastructure.

The visit, the officials said, reflects the Centre’s commitment to extending support for timely relief, rehabilitation and restoration in Reasi district.

Ramban, Sep 5: The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained blocked for every type of traffic movement for the fourth consecutive day between Udhampur and Chenani sectors due to landslides and sinking of road stretches in Samroli, Balli Nallah, and Tharad areas of Udhampur district on Friday.

Official sources said road restoration work was going on between Chenani and Udhampur and Ramban and Banihal sectors.

Hundreds of vehicles carrying essential supplies and other commodities for the three districts of Chenab Valley, Kashmir, and Ladakh are stranded at different locations between Lakhanpur-Madhopur and Udhampur for the last 11 days due to the blockade of the road stretches at multiple locations following heavy rains across J&K that caused damage due to flash-floods, landslides, washing away, and sinking of the road strips, especially at Samroli, Balli Nallah, and Tharad between Chenani and Udhampur.

On Friday, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Ramesh Kumar, along with Deputy Commissioner (DC) Udhampur, Saloni Rai, and other senior officers visited Tharad village, where a massive landslide and sinking of road occurred on around 200 meters of road stretch that is totally damaged.

The Divisional Commissioner inspected road restoration work and passed on directions to the concerned road maintenance agency, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), engaged in clearing landslides and mudslides and reconstruction of the damaged road stretch.

An engineer of NHAI said that the road restoration work was going on full swing to restore this vital road connecting Kashmir and Chenab Valley.

He said they were facing hardships in clearing massive debris, slush, and boulders.

Six heavy earth movers and dumpers have been engaged to clear the accumulated debris and boulders at Tharad, where around 400 meters of road stretch is nowhere visible due to the sinking of the road.

The engineer said that several residential houses above the road were also damaged due to the sinking of land, besides, both tubes of the road stretch passing through the area.

The highway got blocked at several locations due to flash-floods and landslides that resulted in massive damage to the road stretch following heavy rains on August 26

Senior Superintendent of Traffic Police, National Highway, Ramban, Raja Adil Hamid, who is monitoring road restoration work, said the restoration work was going on round the clock at Tharad.

Meanwhile, the Nashri Banihal sector of the highway remains partially open for local passenger and stranded vehicles. The highway has also suffered huge damage between Nashri and Banihal in Peera, Maroog, Panthyal, Shalgadgi, Nachlana, and at other places.

The restoration work is also going on between the Nashri and Banihal sectors.

The highway passing through Ramban, Ramsu, and Banihal is the only road connecting the two subdivisions of Ramban district.

Doda, Kishtwar, and Ramban districts and Chenani, Sudmahadev, and Kud Patnitop areas falling under Udhampur district are also cut off from Jammu.

A group of people said that due to road blockades, there is a shortage of fresh vegetables in the markets of Doda, Kishtwar, and Ramban towns.

Doda, Kishtwar, and Ramban, except Banihal and Gool, are completely dependent on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway passing through the area in the absence of any alternate route.

Talking to reporters after conducting an inspection of the road restoration work in Tharad, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Ramesh Kumar said that efforts were being made to reopen the highway by Saturday morning so that essential supplies are facilitated to Kashmir.

Traffic authorities Friday evening said the highway is still closed for traffic movement.

However, restoration work is going on.

The traffic authorities advised the people and vehicle operators not to undertake journeys on the highway until the road restoration work is completed.

They advised people not to pay heed to rumours and check the status of the road at the Traffic Police X handle and Facebook page and the Traffic Control Units (TCUs) of Srinagar, Jammu, Udhampur, and Ramban.