Union Minister Gadkari, CM Omar Review Srinagar-Jammu Highway Restoration

Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today participated in a high-level virtual meeting chaired by Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari to review the restoration of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.

Highlighting the hardships faced by fruit growers and traders due to prolonged closure of the highway, the Chief Minister sought uninterrupted passage for heavy vehicles. He said while blacktopping and maintenance were necessary, they should not come at the cost of prolonged disruption of vital traffic movement.

“Blacktopping can wait for its turn. But large vehicles, especially 4-axle and 5-axle trucks, cannot be diverted through Mughal Road. This is the only route available for them, and clearing the huge backlog of stranded trucks is crucial,” Omar Abdullah said.

He added that the fruit season was at its peak and delays in transportation were causing heavy losses. He emphasized that while small vehicles could be diverted, NH-44 must remain open for heavy traffic until all stranded vehicles were cleared. He urged that blacktopping should begin only after backlog traffic on both sides was fully cleared.

Union Minister Gadkari assured that concerns would be addressed and said backlog clearance would be prioritized before blacktopping resumes. The Chief Minister also directed the Chief Secretary to ensure lane discipline and regulate traffic for smooth clearance.

Yesterday, Agriculture Minister Javid Dar inspected the highway and briefed the Chief Minister about its condition. Taking note of the disruptions and connectivity issues, Omar Abdullah had spoken with the Union Minister, following which the review meeting was convened.

The meeting was also attended by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary, Ministers Sakina Itoo, Javed Rana, Javid Dar, Satish Sharma, Advisor to the CM Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary to the CM Dheeraj Gupta, and senior officials of NHAI, NHIDCL, and other agencies. (KDC)