Srinagar, Sep 16 (KNO): Amid growing public outrage in Kashmir Valley over the stranding of apple-laden trucks along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway (NH-44), the Union Government stepped in on Monday to address the escalating crisis. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, chaired a high-level review meeting in New Delhi to assess the situation.
As per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the meeting was attended by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, his cabinet colleagues, senior bureaucrats from Jammu & Kashmir, and officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Following the meeting, Gadkari reaffirmed the government's commitment to restoring the highway to full operational capacity at the earliest.
“We are determined to restore this vital national highway to full strength at the earliest, ensuring safety and convenience for all road users,” Gadkari stated in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
He added that NHAI teams are working tirelessly to keep the highway functional despite relentless rains and a major landslide.
“A two-lane temporary diversion has been built, and traffic movement has resumed. Over a dozen excavators and more than 50 earthmovers are deployed round the clock for clearing and repairs,” he said.
An official spokesperson said that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah urged the Union Minister to ensure uninterrupted passage for heavy vehicles. Omar emphasized that while road maintenance and blacktopping are important, they should not come at the cost of prolonged disruption to vital traffic movement.
“Blacktopping can wait for its turn. But large vehicles, especially 4-axle and 5-axle trucks, cannot be diverted through the Mughal Road. This is the only viable route for them. With a huge number of trucks stranded on the Kashmir side alone, clearing this backlog is crucial,” the Chief Minister said.
The CM further said that the fruit season is at its peak, and continued delays in transportation are causing significant losses to growers and traders.
He stressed that while small vehicles could be diverted, NH-44 must remain open for heavy traffic until all stranded vehicles are cleared. He recommended that blacktopping work be undertaken only after the backlog is fully addressed.
Union Minister Gadkari assured the Chief Minister that his concerns would be taken into account.
According to an official handout, Gadkari said the backlog of trucks and other heavy vehicles will be cleared on priority before resuming blacktopping activities.
The Chief Minister also directed the Chief Secretary to ensure lane discipline and regulate traffic on the highway to facilitate smooth clearance.
Sources told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that as an interim measure, the government has proposed a traffic management plan allowing heavy vehicles to move in one direction while permitting light vehicles from the opposite side.
When contacted, the General Manager and Regional Officer of NHAI, Jammu, stated that soiling work is being carried out on a 300-metre stretch at Tahard in Udhampur.
“We have to carry out soiling repeatedly because intermittent rains keep affecting the surface,” he said, adding that blacktopping will commence once the weather improves.
Minister for Agriculture Production and Horticulture, Javid Dar, said that while traffic flow has improved, full restoration will take time.
“The one-way movement of heavy motor vehicles will help in clearing stranded apple trucks,” he said, adding that the government is continuously monitoring the situation.
Inspector General of Police (Traffic), M. Suleman Choudhary, announced that heavy motor vehicles will be allowed to move from Srinagar to Jammu on Wednesday (September 16).
“We are hopeful of clearing the stranded fruit-laden trucks en route to Jammu,” he said, adding that 2800 trucks were cleared via the Mughal Road over the past two days.
He said that movement of fruit-laden trucks has been consistently allowed for two consecutive days on the Mughal Road.
“We used to allow traffic only in one direction on the Mughal Road. But to clear the stranded apple-laden trucks, we permitted traffic from Srinagar to Jammu on this route on Monday and Tuesday,” he said—(KNO)