Heavy rainfall continued to lash several parts of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, triggering landslides, shooting stones, cloudbursts and waterlogging, forcing the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44), suspension of school classes in Ramban and Kishtwar districts, and prompting rescue operations in Shopian and Kishtwar.&nbsp;The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained closed for all types of traffic after heavy rains caused shooting stones, mudslides and slippery road conditions at multiple locations, particularly near Dawal Bridge in the Samroli area. Officials said the road surface has become highly slushy and unsafe for vehicular movement, while heavy rainfall continues in the Ramban-Banihal sector.The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), assisted by Traffic Police personnel, has deployed men and machinery to restore the affected single carriageway. Authorities have advised commuters to avoid travelling on NH-44 until restoration work is completed and the highway is declared safe.&nbsp;ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/why-has-delhi-police-banned-drones-uavs-paragliders-in-national-capital-territory-independence-day-1785568292769">Why has Delhi Police banned drones, UAVs, paragliders in National Capital Territory?</a>&nbsp;Amid the worsening weather, all government and private schools in Ramban and Kishtwar districts remained closed on Saturday. The respective Chief Education Officers, acting on directions from the district administrations, ordered educational institutions to conduct online classes to ensure continuity of academics while prioritising the safety of students and staff.&nbsp;The inclement weather also triggered a cloudburst in Chatroo area of Kishtwar district around 2:30 am, causing a flash surge of water and debris that damaged several houses and other structures. Several vehicles are also believed to have been washed away. The Chatroo-Kishtwar National Highway was closed for vehicular movement following the incident. Police and civil administration teams rushed to the spot and have begun damage assessment and restoration work. Officials said no loss of life or injuries have been reported so far.&nbsp;In south Kashmir's Shopian district, intense rainfall led to severe waterlogging in Pahlipora (Pehlipora), inundating multiple residential houses and a school building. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), along with local police, launched rescue and evacuation operations, safely shifting affected residents from vulnerable areas. Authorities confirmed that five houses and one school building were affected, while no casualties have been reported.&nbsp;Relief and restoration operations are underway in all affected areas as officials continue to monitor the evolving situation. Authorities have urged people living in low-lying, flood-prone and landslide-vulnerable areas to remain alert, avoid unnecessary travel, and stay away from streams, nallahs and unstable slopes until weather conditions improve. &nbsp;

The inclement weather also triggered a cloudburst in Chatroo area of Kishtwar district around 2:30 am, causing a flash surge of water and debris that damaged several houses.

Heavy rainfall continued to lash several parts of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, triggering landslides, shooting stones, cloudbursts and waterlogging, forcing the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44), suspension of school classes in Ramban and Kishtwar districts, and prompting rescue operations in Shopian and Kishtwar. The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained closed for all types of traffic after heavy rains caused shooting stones, mudslides and slippery road conditions at multiple locations, particularly near Dawal Bridge in the Samroli area. Officials said the road surface has become highly slushy and unsafe for vehicular movement, while heavy rainfall continues in the Ramban-Banihal sector. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), assisted by Traffic Police personnel, has deployed men and machinery to restore the affected single carriageway. Authorities have advised commuters to avoid travelling on NH-44 until restoration work is completed and the highway is declared safe. ALSO READ: Why has Delhi Police banned drones, UAVs, paragliders in National Capital Territory? Amid the worsening weather, all government and private schools in Ramban and Kishtwar districts remained closed on Saturday. The respective Chief Education Officers, acting on directions from the district administrations, ordered educational institutions to conduct online classes to ensure continuity of academics while prioritising the safety of students and staff. The inclement weather also triggered a cloudburst in Chatroo area of Kishtwar district around 2:30 am, causing a flash surge of water and debris that damaged several houses and other structures. Several vehicles are also believed to have been washed away. The Chatroo-Kishtwar National Highway was closed for vehicular movement following the incident. Police and civil administration teams rushed to the spot and have begun damage assessment and restoration work. Officials said no loss of life or injuries have been reported so far. In south Kashmir's Shopian district, intense rainfall led to severe waterlogging in Pahlipora (Pehlipora), inundating multiple residential houses and a school building. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), along with local police, launched rescue and evacuation operations, safely shifting affected residents from vulnerable areas. Authorities confirmed that five houses and one school building were affected, while no casualties have been reported. Relief and restoration operations are underway in all affected areas as officials continue to monitor the evolving situation. Authorities have urged people living in low-lying, flood-prone and landslide-vulnerable areas to remain alert, avoid unnecessary travel, and stay away from streams, nallahs and unstable slopes until weather conditions improve.

The inclement weather also triggered a cloudburst in Chatroo area of Kishtwar district around 2:30 am, causing a flash surge of water and debris that damaged several houses.

Heavy rain paralyses parts of J&K; NH-44 closed, schools shut

The strategic Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the only all weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country, remained closed for the fifth consecutive day on Sunday as fresh landslides at different places hit the restoration work, officials said.

However, they said efforts are on and a decision to allow traffic on the highway would be taken later in the day after reviewing the progress of the ongoing debris clearance operation.

The highway was closed for traffic on Wednesday following heavy snowfall and incessant rains which triggered avalanches and landslides at various places especially between Qazigund-Banihal-Ramban stretch including Jawahar Tunnel - the gateway to Kashmir valley.

"Over a dozen landslides were cleared despite frosty conditions and intermittent shooting of stones from the hillocks on Saturday but fresh landslides had occurred at Kela Morh, Battery cheshma, Digdole, Panthiyal and Khuni Nallah overnight leaving the road once again blocked," Ramban Deputy Superintendent of police, Traffic, Suresh Sharma told PTI.

He said the continuous shooting of stones at Panthiyal and frosty condition of the road in the snow-bound areas are posing a major challenge to the agencies involved in the clearance operation.

"The men and machinery are on the job and if the hills get stabilised and there will be no fresh landslide, the road stretch from Ramban to Banihal will be cleared for the traffic by late afternoon," he said.

Sharma, who inspected some of the landslide hit areas, said the snow clearance operation is almost complete including at Jawahar Tunnel where an avalanche had also struck on Thursday, blocking one of the tunnels on Qazigund side besides killing eight persons including six police and fire and emergency services personnel.

In view of the closure of the highway, the Indian Air Force (IAF) launched special sorties of C17 Globemaster, airlifting 538 persons including 319 GATE aspirants between Jammu and Srinagar on Friday and Saturday.

"A total of 319 students appearing in Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) on February 10 onwards were airlifted from Srinagar airport to Jammu airport on Friday and Saturday," a defence spokesman said.

He said while 179 students were airlifted from Srinagar to Jammu, 180 civilians struck in Jammu were airlifted to Srinagar on Friday.

Similarly, he said 179 persons comprising of 140 students and 39 locals and tourists were airlifted to Srinagar to Jammu on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the minimum temperature across the Jammu division marked an appreciable increase due to overcast conditions, though some snow-bound parts of the region continue to reel under sub-zero temperature.

The night temperature in Jammu city marked an increase of over three notches to settle at 7.1 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal, against the previous night's 4.0 degrees Celsius, a spokesman of the MeT department said.

The highway town of Banihal and Batote recorded a low of minus 1.0 and minus 0.6 degrees Celsius, respectively, while Bhaderwah town in Doda district was reeling under minus 1.8 degrees Celsius.

Katra town, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting the famous Vaishno Devi Shrine in Reasi district, recorded a minimum of 6.5 degrees Celsius, the spokesman said.

The strategic Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the only all weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country, remained closed for the fifth consecutive day on Sunday as fresh landslides at different places hit the restoration work, officials said.

The strategic Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the only all weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country, remained closed for the fifth consecutive day on Sunday as fresh landslides at different places hit the restoration work, officials said. However, they said efforts are on and a decision to allow traffic on the highway would be taken later in the day after reviewing the progress of the ongoing debris clearance operation. The highway was closed for traffic on Wednesday following heavy snowfall and incessant rains which triggered avalanches and landslides at various places especially between Qazigund-Banihal-Ramban stretch including Jawahar Tunnel - the gateway to Kashmir valley. "Over a dozen landslides were cleared despite frosty conditions and intermittent shooting of stones from the hillocks on Saturday but fresh landslides had occurred at Kela Morh, Battery cheshma, Digdole, Panthiyal and Khuni Nallah overnight leaving the road once again blocked," Ramban Deputy Superintendent of police, Traffic, Suresh Sharma told PTI. He said the continuous shooting of stones at Panthiyal and frosty condition of the road in the snow-bound areas are posing a major challenge to the agencies involved in the clearance operation. "The men and machinery are on the job and if the hills get stabilised and there will be no fresh landslide, the road stretch from Ramban to Banihal will be cleared for the traffic by late afternoon," he said. Sharma, who inspected some of the landslide hit areas, said the snow clearance operation is almost complete including at Jawahar Tunnel where an avalanche had also struck on Thursday, blocking one of the tunnels on Qazigund side besides killing eight persons including six police and fire and emergency services personnel. In view of the closure of the highway, the Indian Air Force (IAF) launched special sorties of C17 Globemaster, airlifting 538 persons including 319 GATE aspirants between Jammu and Srinagar on Friday and Saturday. "A total of 319 students appearing in Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) on February 10 onwards were airlifted from Srinagar airport to Jammu airport on Friday and Saturday," a defence spokesman said. He said while 179 students were airlifted from Srinagar to Jammu, 180 civilians struck in Jammu were airlifted to Srinagar on Friday. Similarly, he said 179 persons comprising of 140 students and 39 locals and tourists were airlifted to Srinagar to Jammu on Saturday. Meanwhile, the minimum temperature across the Jammu division marked an appreciable increase due to overcast conditions, though some snow-bound parts of the region continue to reel under sub-zero temperature. The night temperature in Jammu city marked an increase of over three notches to settle at 7.1 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal, against the previous night's 4.0 degrees Celsius, a spokesman of the MeT department said. The highway town of Banihal and Batote recorded a low of minus 1.0 and minus 0.6 degrees Celsius, respectively, while Bhaderwah town in Doda district was reeling under minus 1.8 degrees Celsius. Katra town, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting the famous Vaishno Devi Shrine in Reasi district, recorded a minimum of 6.5 degrees Celsius, the spokesman said.

Fresh landslides hamper efforts to reopen Jammu-Srinagar highway

One person was killed and 34 Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel were injured Monday when a bus carrying them skidded off the road and fell into a gorge along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, police said.

The vehicle was part of a Jammu-bound convoy and the accident occurred near Khuni Nallah in Ramban district around 8.45 am, a police officer said.

Trees prevented the bus from falling further down in the gorge, the officer said.&nbsp;

Around 35 people were travelling on the bus.

A team of rescue personnel comprising Army, police and local volunteers are at the spot.

While one person died, 34 persons were rescued from the wreckage of the vehicle and rushed to the district hospital in Ramban, the officer said.

One person was killed and 34 Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel were injured Monday when a bus carrying them skidded off the road and fell into a gorge along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, police said.

One person was killed and 34 Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel were injured Monday when a bus carrying them skidded off the road and fell into a gorge along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, police said. The vehicle was part of a Jammu-bound convoy and the accident occurred near Khuni Nallah in Ramban district around 8.45 am, a police officer said. Trees prevented the bus from falling further down in the gorge, the officer said. Around 35 people were travelling on the bus. A team of rescue personnel comprising Army, police and local volunteers are at the spot. While one person died, 34 persons were rescued from the wreckage of the vehicle and rushed to the district hospital in Ramban, the officer said.

1 killed, 34 ITBP personnel injured as bus falls into gorge

Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway remained suspended for five hours on Tuesday due to a landslide triggered by rains in Ramban district, officials said.

The landslide struck the 270-km highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir to the rest of the country, at Digdole around 4.45 am, traffic&nbsp; 
department officials said.

They said the agency concerned immediately launched a clearance operation and the highway was reopened for one-way traffic around 0945 hours.

The decision to restrict the traffic to one-way was taken to ensure smooth movement of vehicles.

The highway is being upgraded to a four-lane road and the work on the project is going on for the last several years. Keeping in view the overall condition of the road -- especially between Jawahar Tunnel and Ramban -- and its narrow width at some places, allowing two-way movement of vehicles is not feasible, the officials said.

Meanwhile, light snowfall in Pir Ki Gali along the Mughal road, an alternate link connecting Poonch and Rajouri districts in the Jammu region to Shopian district in south Kashmir, also disrupted traffic on the road this morning.

Vehicular movement was disrupted for nearly an hour in the morning due to snowfall in the high altitude areas, including Pir Ki Gali along the road during the night, the officials said.

They said the road was cleared and the traffic on the road was going on smoothly from both sides.

Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway remained suspended for five hours on Tuesday due to a landslide triggered by rains in Ramban district, officials said.

Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway remained suspended for five hours on Tuesday due to a landslide triggered by rains in Ramban district, officials said. The landslide struck the 270-km highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir to the rest of the country, at Digdole around 4.45 am, traffic department officials said. They said the agency concerned immediately launched a clearance operation and the highway was reopened for one-way traffic around 0945 hours. The decision to restrict the traffic to one-way was taken to ensure smooth movement of vehicles. The highway is being upgraded to a four-lane road and the work on the project is going on for the last several years. Keeping in view the overall condition of the road -- especially between Jawahar Tunnel and Ramban -- and its narrow width at some places, allowing two-way movement of vehicles is not feasible, the officials said. Meanwhile, light snowfall in Pir Ki Gali along the Mughal road, an alternate link connecting Poonch and Rajouri districts in the Jammu region to Shopian district in south Kashmir, also disrupted traffic on the road this morning. Vehicular movement was disrupted for nearly an hour in the morning due to snowfall in the high altitude areas, including Pir Ki Gali along the road during the night, the officials said. They said the road was cleared and the traffic on the road was going on smoothly from both sides.

Landslide blocks Jammu-Srinagar national highway for 5 hours