Traffic on the strategic Srinagar-Jammu National Highway (NH-44) was halted early Monday following fresh landslides and stone-falling incidents in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district. Vehicular movement in both directions — from Jammu to Srinagar and vice versa — has been halted due to accumulation of debris and large fallen stones on the road between Karol Bridge and Chander Kot (also spelled Chanderkot).
Jammu and Kashmir Traffic Police has issued an advisory urging commuters not to travel on NH-44 until the highway is completely restored. “Please ignore rumors and check road conditions with the traffic department before starting your journey,” the statement said. The work of removing debris from the road is going on, but the restoration work is being hampered due to continuous falling of stones. Officials said that considering the weather conditions, this work may take several hours.
The Srinagar-Jammu Highway remains the main land connectivity lifeline for the Kashmir Valley, especially for the supply of essential commodities like LPG, mutton, poultry and other perishable commodities. Although the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) has provided all-season connectivity for passengers and significantly reduced travel time (from about 10 hours to about 5 hours through improved road infrastructure), regular freight train services for goods are still limited. Northern Railway officials recently held meetings with the stakeholders to operationalize parcel and freight services, especially to transport the famous fruits of Kashmir (apples and other horticulture products) to the main markets of the country.
The area between Ramsu and Ramban is notorious for incidents of landslides, mud slides and stone falls, especially during the rainy season. In the year 2025, fruit growers in the valley suffered huge economic losses due to prolonged road closures as trucks remained stranded for days, preventing timely delivery of fruits to national markets.
Officials are continuously monitoring the situation. Commuters and transporters are advised to rely only on official updates issued by the traffic police for latest road conditions. These recurring disruptions highlight the urgent need for reliable alternative logistics, including expansion of rail freight services, to reduce reliance on this critical highway.
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