Divisional Commissioner Sanjeev Verma today inspected Udhampur - Chenani stretch of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on which traffic movement was being hampered due to frequent landslides.He was accompanied by District Development Commissioner, Udhampur Ravinder Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police, Rayees Mohammad Bhat, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Krishan Lal, Regional Officer, National Highway, (NHAI) Jammu, Hem Raj, besides representatives of Gammon India Pvt Ltd – the executing agency for four laning of the Highway.During the visit, the Div Com interacted with the landslide affected people and listened to their issues. He directed district administration to activate men and machinery to minimize the chances of disruption of traffic and other essential services. He further directed the District Administration to stay prepared and responsive to any crisis thrown up by the inclement weather. He directed the National Highway Authority of India to take both short and long-term measures to prevent damages and inconvenience to the commuters.
Directing for early restoration of affected stretches of the highway, he stressed upon the construction agency to keep men and machinery in a ready mode for the clearance of road blockade in future. He also called upon the executive agency to speed up the work and remove bottlenecks which are hampering the pace of work.Meanwhile, the DDC informed about the vulnerable points along the stretch and the damages caused due to the landslide. He said that 61 incidents of property and house damage were reported during the recent flashflood and landslide in the district.Giving details about the status of four-laning work, he informed that the work on 9 major bridges along Udhampur- Chenani stretch is apace, while the construction agency has been asked to take all measures to keep the road traffic worthy.