Rajouri, 4 June: Officials predict the Mughal Road rehabilitation to take 24 to 48 hours since the makeshift track erected so far has proven inadequate for vehicle traffic.
They also said that the track would be improved further on Monday. Mughal Road is a significant piece of surface connection that links Poonch district to Shopian and serves as an alternative to the Srinagar-Jammu national route.
On Tuesday evening, a landslip struck the region near Ratta Chamb bridge, and a large piece of the slope plummeted below, totally obstructing the road. This slip affects a section of 300 to 400 metres.
The slide clearing work began on Thursday morning, however it could not be completed on time owing to inclement weather.
The operation was also delayed six times on Saturday owing to inclement weather and firing stones.
Shokat Ali, Executive Engineer of Mughal Road Projects, said that the slide debris across the road length from the slide damaged region has been cleaned.
“However, we are concerned that more slide debris will move downward,” he added. According to the Executive Engineer, a temporary track has also been erected over the slide debris since the current real road length is missing beneath debris, but this temporary track is not yet stable and will be upgraded on Monday.
Mohammad Nawaz, Deputy Superintendent of Traffic in Rajouri Poonch, said that the responsible engineering department is working on slide clearance and that a temporary track was erected today, but it was determined to be unstable and inappropriate for vehicle movement. “The concerned department’s manpower has cleared debris to make a temporary track, but it requires improvement, which will be made on Monday,” he added.
According to the Deputy SP, the road would only be usable until a good track is laid down, which is likely to take 24-48 hours.
