Jammu: The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the lone passage link connecting the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country, was closed on Thursday morning due to mudslide amid rainy weather.
Officials said that vehicular traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) has been temporarily suspended due to a mudslide at Chamba Seri in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday after rainy weather.
The highway has been blocked in both directions this morning as debris fell on the road, blocking the way. Clearance work is underway.
Commuters are advised to check the status of roads at the traffic police Twitter handle, Facebook page.
Yellow alert for J&K
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Jammu and Kashmir from May 9 to 12, warning of thunderstorms and lightning.
Several other states, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, are also expected to witness rain and storms till May 11. Punjab and Haryana are likely to receive showers on May 10 and 11.
The IMD forecast suggests a gradual rise in temperatures by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius over the next three days in East India. A similar increase is expected across Northwest India over the coming week.
Shimla in Himachal Pradesh recorded fresh rainfall on Tuesday afternoon. Light to moderate rain is likely in the plains and mid-hills till May 8, while snowfall is expected in the higher reaches.
Nighttime thunderstorms and gusty winds have been predicted in districts such as Chamba, Kangra, Una, Bilaspur, and Hamirpur. Isolated hailstorms may occur in Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Solan, Sirmaur, and Kangra.
According to IMD data, rainfall across the state for May so far has been 22% above normal. While Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti districts reported below-average rainfall, six districts recorded higher than normal levels, and others remained close to the monthly average.
J&K: Another Incident at LoC
A Day after sharp escalation in cross border shelling that left 12 civilians and a soldier dead, Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violations at many places along the Line of Control (LoC).
The ceasefire violations during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday were reported in areas opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri in Kashmir and Akhnoor in Jammu, Army said.