Ramban, Oct 17: Vehicular movement on the strategic Srinagar Jammu National Highway (NH-44) was disrupted for some time on Friday after a portion of a retaining wall collapsed in the Dalwass area of Ramban district.
Official sources said that around 45 to 50 metres of the wall, along with a portion of the adjoining Sawni Panchayat link road, caved in during the early hours, blocking the highway and triggering traffic disruption.
Traffic authorities immediately diverted Srinagar-bound traffic through the Jammu-bound tube of the highway to maintain flow. However, the diversion caused congestion and slow movement of vehicles on the single operational lane.
Project Director, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Shubham Yadav, confirmed that the damaged section measured around 40–50 metres. “We have pressed men and machinery into service for clearing debris and restoring the road,” Yadav said.
Senior Superintendent of Traffic Police (NH), Ramban Raja Adil Hamid, along with the NHAI team, is personally monitoring the road restoration work at the site.
By Friday evening, NHAI teams were busy clearing debris from the Srinagar-bound tube.
Traffic remained slow due to single-lane operation on multiple stretches between Balli Nallah, Dewal, Samroli (between Nashri and Dalwass), and Maroog–Kishtwari Pather.
Traffic authorities said the highway remains open for two-way movement of light and medium vehicles, while heavy vehicles are allowed only one-way movement towards Srinagar.
Meanwhile, the foot movement of nomadic families with livestock along the highway between Udhampur and Banihal also added to delays.
Despite the challenges, officials said hundreds of vehicles, including trucks and passenger vehicles, crossed through Udhampur and Banihal by Friday evening.
Traffic police have issued an advisory, urging commuters and transporters to verify the status of the road before travelling. Real-time updates are available through Traffic Control Units in Srinagar, Jammu, Udhampur, and Ramban, and on the official Twitter and Facebook pages of Jammu and Kashmir Traffic Police.
Authorities have also appealed to drivers to maintain lane discipline, warning that overtaking and wrong-lane driving could cause severe congestion and safety issues.
Meanwhile, due to the collapse at Dalwass, several panchayats — including Zero Point Dalwass, Sawni, Karma, Paparya, and Dalwass — have been cut off, causing local inconvenience.
Restoration work is ongoing and being closely supervised by district and highway officials.
