Srinagar, Oct 16: The Uri-Baramulla highway remained closed for the third consecutive day on Friday following massive landslides triggered by heavy rainfall at Rajarwani, leaving commuters stranded and over 50 villages without electricity.
The prolonged disruption has triggered resentment among locals, who accused the authorities and the executing agency of failing to restore road connectivity and power supply promptly, alleging that the pace of clearance work was adding to their hardships.
Residents told Rising Kashmir that the highway, a vital link connecting Uri with Baramulla and other parts of Kashmir, had remained blocked for three days. They alleged that work on clearing the debris was being halted in the evening and resumed the following morning, delaying the restoration of traffic.
“Why don’t they work throughout the night to reopen the road? They stop work at 6 pm and resume at 8 am. They are not serious about restoring either the road or electricity,” locals said.
Officials, however, said clearance operations were underway and expressed hope that traffic would be restored by Saturday afternoon, subject to the removal of debris and clearance of the affected stretch.
The landslides have also severely affected electricity infrastructure, damaging a 33-KV power line and around four electric poles. As a result, more than 50 villages in the Uri area have been left without electricity for the past three days.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Uri Gaurav Yadav told Rising Kashmir that teams were working to clear the debris at the affected stretch of the highway.
“We are expecting the highway to reopen for traffic tomorrow afternoon, as massive landslides have occurred. Teams are working to restore it at the earliest,” he said.
Yadav said electricity restoration had also been delayed due to the extensive damage and the lack of road clearance beyond the Mohra receiving station, which has hampered access to the affected infrastructure.
The prolonged closure has renewed concerns over the vulnerability of the Uri-Baramulla highway, with locals claiming that frequent disruptions have become a recurring problem since the widening of the road was undertaken.
Residents said repeated closures were affecting daily commutes, the movement of essential supplies and access to services, while forcing travellers to use longer alternative routes.
They urged the administration and the concerned departments to expedite debris clearance, restore traffic movement and repair the damaged power infrastructure to bring relief to the affected population.
