.BANIHAL/JAMMU DES3 JK-HIGHWAY Jammu-Srinagar NH Closed for Third Day, Fresh Landslide Hits Restoration Work

Banihal/Jammu, Dec 22 (PTI) The 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway remained closed for vehicular traffic for the third consecutive day on Sunday as a fresh landslide hampered efforts to reopen the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, a traffic department official said.

Thousands of vehicles, mostly trucks, are stranded on the highway and will be cleared on priority once the arterial road is opened for traffic, the officials said.

They said a massive landslide struck the highway at Digdole in Ramban district on Saturday evening, completely blocking it besides causing damage to the road.

"Men and machinery are on the job but given the volume of the debris, the possibility of the road opening today (Sunday) is almost impossible," a traffic department official said adding efforts are on to ensure early reopening of the road.

He said about 2,500 Srinagar-bound vehicles crossed the Jawahar Tunnel -- the gateway to Kashmir -- after the road was cleared for stranded vehicles on Saturday.

Fresh snowfall in the tunnel area and multiple landslides between Ramsoo and Panthiyal in Ramban district forced closure of the highway on Friday evening.

Meanwhile, night temperature in most parts of Jammu region marked an increase but the sun appeared around noon, piercing through the cloud cover.

Jammu city recorded a minimum of 8.7 degrees Celsius, up by almost two degrees from the previous night's 6.8 degrees Celsius, an official of the meteorological department said adding that the minimum temperature in the city is 0.5 degrees above the season's average.

The highway town of Banihal, which was reeling under sub-zero temperatures over the past couple of days following fresh snowfall, recorded a low of 0.4 degrees Celsius, he said.

Katra, which serves as the base camp for pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district, recorded a minimum of 6.2 degrees Celsius against the previous night's 7 degrees Celsius, the official said.

He said the snow-bound Bhaderwah town in Doda district also recorded a dip in the night temperature which settled at minus 1.3 degrees Celsius, making it the coldest recorded place in Jammu region.

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