Jammu, Aug 4: The Jammu Railway Division of the Northern Railway has invited Expression of Interest (EOI) from reputed consultant agencies for industrial mapping and district-wise market survey to enhance freight loading capacity.

The objective of the proposed study focussed on mapping and surveys, according to Raghvender Singh, Public Relations Inspector, Jammu Railway Division, is to identify existing and upcoming industrial clusters in the division area. The mandate of agencies will be to assess commodity-wise freight potential, evaluate rail-road modal share, analyse district-wise market trends and suggest practical measures to increase railway freight loading and unloading.

“Jammu Railway Division has launched a comprehensive campaign with the objective of accelerating industrial development and strengthening railway freight traffic in the division. Under this campaign, work will be undertaken for industrial mapping, industrial outreach, district-wise market survey and identification of potential railway freight loading points in the division,” Singh shared.

He said, “To carry out this work in a scientific and professional manner, Jammu Railway Division is inviting Expression of Interest (EOI) from reputed consultant agencies. This opportunity is for agencies having experience in industrial surveys, logistics studies, freight traffic assessment and market analytics. Interested agencies can participate in this EOI. The detailed EOI document has been uploaded on the official website of Northern Railway.”

The consultant agency, according to Singh, will also be responsible for conducting field surveys, stakeholder consultations with industries, trade bodies and government agencies and preparing a comprehensive database of potential freight customers.

This study, Singh said, would help in identifying new freight loading sources by connecting existing and emerging industries to rail.

“Industries will get cost-effective and reliable logistics facilities through rail transport, which will reduce their transportation costs. Better rail connectivity will make it easier for local industries to access national and international markets and will accelerate regional industrial development,” he maintained.

Based on the study, Singh said proposals would also be prepared for the development of freight infrastructure such as new goods sheds, sidings and loading points. In addition, promoting freight movement by rail would reduce pressure on roads and benefit the environment by reducing carbon emissions, he added.

“This is also an important opportunity for the companies participating in it. The selected agency will get an opportunity to work with a prestigious organisation as large as Northern Railway. Based on the results of this study, railways will develop further freight infrastructure and logistics projects and the agency working on it is likely to get preference. Associating with this large study in the government sector will also enhance the company’s brand value and credibility,” Singh pointed out.

Ramban, Aug 4: The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained open on Tuesday for the scheduled two-way movement of the AmarnathYatra convoy and regulated two-way traffic of Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) and heavy vehicles after weather conditions improved and no rainfall was reported along the Udhampur-Chenani sector.

Despite the improvement in weather, commuters continued to face long delays due to damaged, uneven, and single-lane road stretches at Dewal near Samroli in Udhampur district and between Maroog and KishtwariPather in Ramban district.

Traffic congestion persisted between Udhampur and Chenani, particularly near the landslide-prone Dewal stretch, where vehicles moved slowly under the regulation of the Traffic Police.

The affected stretch was restored after the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) carried out extensive repair work on Monday evening by filling damaged portions of the carriageway with stones and restoring the road surface.

Recent monsoon rains had rendered the Dewal stretch highly slushy, muddy, and dangerously slippery, forcing the Traffic Police to suspend vehicular movement from both the Srinagar and Jammu sides on several occasions to facilitate urgent restoration works.

Men, machinery, and heavy equipment of the NHAI, along with Traffic Police personnel, have remained deployed at the Dewal stretch since June 18 to undertake continuous road repairs and regulate traffic through the vulnerable section.

Although the highway has been reopened, traffic is still being regulated on the damaged single-lane stretch, resulting in long queues of vehicles during peak hours.

Officials said the Dewal stretch continues to remain highly vulnerable because of unstable hill slopes, damaged road surface, and the possibility of fresh landslides during rainfall. Traffic is therefore being allowed in a regulated manner to ensure the safety of commuters.

Authorities have also continued restrictions on local inter-district movement after the passage of the AmarnathYatra convoy. Only commuters carrying valid photo identity cards are being permitted to proceed beyond the notified cut-off timings after verification.

The Traffic Police have advised passengers travelling towards Srinagar to use the old Jawahar Tunnel road to avoid congestion and security checks at Lamber, Banihal.

Likewise, commuters travelling to Batote, Doda, Bhaderwah, Kishtwar, and adjoining areas have been advised to use the Patnitop route from Jammu.

Passengers operating LMVs have been urged to undertake journeys only during daylight hours in view of the continued threat of landslides, shooting stones, and ongoing four-laning works between Ramban and Banihal.

Heavy vehicles carrying fruits, vegetables, livestock, and other perishable commodities have been directed to strictly follow the movement schedule issued by the Traffic Police Headquarters, as heavy vehicles are presently being allowed on alternate days.

Fruit growers and transporters from Kashmir have also been instructed to park their vehicles at designated locations between the Navyug Tunnel and Levdoora before 9 am on the notified day to facilitate smooth traffic management.

Senior Superintendent of Police (Traffic), Ramban, Raja Adil Hameed, said traffic was being regulated in coordination with the NHAI to ensure the safe movement of vehicles through the vulnerable stretches between Udhampur and Chenani.

Over the past two weeks, the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway has witnessed repeated disruptions due to incessant monsoon rains, triggering landslides, mudslides, shooting stones, and flash floods at several locations between Udhampur, Ramban, and Banihal. Although major restoration works have enabled the reopening of the highway, vulnerable stretches continue to require constant monitoring and periodic repairs.

Heavy vehicles were also allowed to move towards Kashmir during the afternoon. However, traffic continued to move slowly, with long queues reported near the landslide-prone Samroli-Dewal stretch as authorities managed vehicular movement through the damaged single-lane section. 

Jammu, Aug 4: Security has been intensified across the Jammu region, particularly along the Jammu-Srinagar and Jammu-Pathankot national highways, as the National Conference (NC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Congress have announced separate protests to observe August 5 as ‘Black Day’.

August 5 marks the seventh anniversary of the Centre’s decision to abrogate the special status of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state under Article 370 and reorganise it into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Police, the Army and the CRPF have stepped up security arrangements by increasing vehicle checking, frisking and surveillance at sensitive locations across the region, officials said.

Special checkpoints have been placed on high alert along the Jammu-Srinagar and Jammu-Pathankot highways, with security personnel conducting searches of vehicles and verifying the identity of commuters, they said.

Security has also been strengthened in border areas, where patrolling and area domination exercises have been intensified as a precautionary measure, the officials said, adding that additional deployments have been made at vulnerable locations.

The National Conference leadership will assemble outside the party headquarters in Jammu and stage a protest on Wednesday, party leaders said.

The Congress will hold a demonstration outside its Shaheedi Chowk headquarters, demanding restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, along with constitutional safeguards for land, jobs and natural resources, party leaders said.

The PDP will also hold a protest at its Gandhi Nagar headquarters to mark the occasion, its leaders said.

Jammu, Aug 4: Security forces on Tuesday launched a search operation after spotting a Pakistani drone hovering over forward villages along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, officials said.

Police, assisted by the Rashtriya Rifles, also carried out extensive searches across dozens of remote villages in Poonch district following inputs about the suspected movement of two groups of terrorists, the officials said.

A Pakistani drone intruded into Indian territory and was seen hovering over the forward villages of Shukhmal, Devindera and Tapan in the Bobiyan area of Kathua’s Hiranagar sector around 2 pm, they said.

Alert Border Security Force (BSF) personnel initiated countermeasures to bring down the drone, but the flying object, which was at a high altitude, managed to return across the border, the officials said.

The BSF, along with the police, later conducted a thorough search of the area to ensure that the drone had not carried out any airdropping, they said, adding the operation was continuing when last reports were received.

In border district of Poonch, the officials said personnel of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, assisted by troops of the Rashtriya Rifles, launched a cordon-and-search operation in dozens of villages including Dhara Sangla, Gujjar Naar and Kherowali Dhok in Surankote tehsil.

The operation was initiated following reports suggesting the movement of two separate groups of suspected terrorists in the densely forested region, they said.

No contact had been established with the suspected terrorists so far, the officials said, adding the operation was continuing, with security personnel carrying out systematic searches to trace the suspects.

The officials said the police and Rashtriya Rifles also conducted searches at Kalaban and adjoining areas in Mendhar tehsil on Tuesday but no one was taken into custody.

In another development, an old rusted mortar shell was recovered from the courtyard of a house near the International Border in the Hiranagar sector of Kathua district on Tuesday morning, the officials said.

The unexploded shell came to light when labourers engaged in excavation work at the residence of Subash Chander in Kattal-Brahmana village noticed the suspicious object and immediately alerted the authorities, they said.

According to the officials, a police team, accompanied by the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), rushed to the spot, secured the area and safely removed the mortar shell for disposal.