JAMMU/SRINAGAR, May 8 — The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) was closed on Thursday morning following mudslides and flash floods ‘triggered by continuous rainfall.’
According to reports, a major mudslide occurred at Chamba Seri in Ramban district, blocking traffic in both directions, officials said.
“Debris fell on the road due to heavy rains, forcing suspension of vehicular movement,” an official said.
Clearance operations are currently underway.
On April 20, 2025, a massive landslide in Ramban district caused a portion of the Jammu-Srinagar
Highway to collapse. Several vehicles were swept into a gorge as tons of debris buried the road, leaving hundreds of commuters stranded, shutting the highway for several days.
The inauguration of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), connecting Kashmir with the rest of India, was set for April 19, 2025, but was postponed due to adverse weather conditions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to launch the final segment of the 272-kilometer rail link, which includes the world’s highest railway bridge over the
Chenab River and the Anji Khad cable-stayed bridge.
Geological experts have raised concerns over the intense evacuation of the Peer Panchal mountain range, initiated by the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project.
The Katra to Banihal section of the railway line is particularly crucial due to its limestone geomorphology, which makes the region more susceptible to land shifts and instability.
Experts warn that such disturbances could lead to unforeseen geological hazards, especially given the region’s complex terrain.
According to a study, the geomorphology of the region, characterized by limestone shale deposits and colluvium, is already unsuitable for enduring the stress of road widening projects. However, tunnel excavation for a 93 km railway line is an even graver concern.
The 111 km (Katra - Banihal) section, where 93 km are designated for tunnel excavation, is also lithologically dangerous, as the tunnel passes through Ramsu and Machal Formations of Late Proterozoic to Cambrian age, consisting of unfossiliferous rocks such as slate, phyllite, quartzite, argillite with grey-carbonaceous slate, phyllite, and crystalline limestone, rendering the area vulnerable. (This lithology is shallow; it was previously observed how the Brieng River disappeared into a sinkhole in south Kashmir’s Kokernag due to the limestone lithology.)
On May 19, 2022, 10 workers were killed when an under-construction tunnel collapsed at Khooni Nala in the Makerkote area of Ramban district along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.
Before that
65 houses reported land subsidence in the Gool area of Ramban along the Jammu-Srinagar highway, with the National Testing Agency (NTA) issuing notices to the J&K administration, seeking an investigation into the underlying causes of the subsidence.
Meanwhile, authorities have advised commuters to confirm the status of the highway before traveling. Information is available via the Traffic Control Units at:
• Jammu: 0191-2459048, 0191-2740550, 9419147732, 103
• Srinagar: 0194-2450022, 2485396, 18001807091, 103
• Ramban: 9419993745, 1800-180-7043
• Udhampur: 8491928625