Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday directed authorities to repair the vital Jammu-Srinagar highway — damaged by flash floods and landslides — and immediately restore it for vehicular traffic.
The Chief Minister chaired a high-level meeting to review the restoration works on the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) and other major roads damaged by recent heavy rains.
The meeting was attended by the Chief Minister’s Adviser, Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary to the CM Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secretary Home, Principal Secretary Public Works (R&B), Divisional Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir, several Deputy Commissioners, and senior officers from BRO, NHIDCL, NHAI, J&K Police, and other concerned departments.
The Chief Minister directed authorities to ensure the swift restoration of road connectivity, smooth traffic movement, and uninterrupted supply of essentials, particularly to the Kashmir Valley and remote areas of the Jammu division.
He emphasised the need for close inter-departmental coordination and timely updates to respond promptly to public needs.
Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo briefed the meeting about the condition of NH-44, describing its restoration as the top priority since it is the lifeline connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country. He stressed the importance of facilitating the movement of perishable commodities like fruit from the Valley and highlighted the grim situation in areas such as Kishtwar and Udhampur, which are facing outages of power, drinking water, road connectivity, and mobile networks.
He further underlined the need for temporary restoration of highways such as Dhar–Mahanpur, Ramban–Gool, and Reasi–Mahore to reconnect affected districts.
The Chief Minister inquired about the stock position of ration, fuel, and medicines in cut-off places like Bani, Kishtwar, Reasi, and Udhampur. He directed officials to replenish supplies through alternate routes, including via Anantnag for Kishtwar and through Bhaderwah for Bani, until full restoration of roads is achieved.
Divisional Commissioner Jammu informed the meeting about the ongoing restoration works on NH-44, resumption of supplies into the Valley, and special trains being run to facilitate passengers and tourists. He assured that there is no shortage of ration, fuel or other essentials in Jammu and efforts are being made to keep cut-off areas adequately stocked.
Similarly, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir informed that the Valley has sufficient supplies of fuel and ration.
The Chief Minister also directed that all roads under the BRO, NHAI, NHIDCL, and other agencies that remain disconnected be monitored closely, with status reports shared with his office twice daily — morning and evening.