Jammu-Srinagar highway opens for one-way traffic, CM to review restoration work soon
Ramban/Jammu (PTI): One-way traffic has been restored on the arterial Jammu-Srinagar national highway, five days after vehicular movement was suspended due to flash floods and mudslides in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district.
Authorities allowed vehicles to move from Jammu towards Srinagar on Friday.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will visit Ramban on Saturday to review the progress of work for the complete restoration of the highway and other infrastructure damaged due to the flash floods triggered by a cloudburst on April 20, officials said.
The highway was initially cleared on Wednesday to facilitate the movement of vehicles stranded on the damaged Ramban stretch, they said.
Severe damage at multiple locations had left thousands of passengers and tourists stranded, causing widespread travel disruptions along the vital route, they said.
Even as the vehicular movement resumed, many tourists expressed frustration over being stuck in long traffic jams for hours.
Congestion remained a major issue in Ramban district as authorities managed the phased movement of vehicles, the officials said.
They said efforts are underway to restore two-way traffic on the highway in the coming days.
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IAF to hold 2-day wargame along frontier with Pakistan: NOTAM issued
New Delhi, May 6 (PTI): The Indian Air Force will carry out a two-day mega military exercise along the border with Pakistan from Wednesday that will involve all the frontline fighter jets including Rafale, Su-30 and Jaguar aircraft, sources in the defence establishment said on Tuesday.
The exercise is taking place amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan over the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
India's civil aviation authorities have already issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for the major air exercise that will largely take place along the southern and western section of the Indo-Pakistan border.
India's frontline fighter jets including the Rafale, Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, Mirage-2000, Tejas and AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft are set to feature in the exercise, the sources said.
In the course of the exercise, the IAF will simulate enemy targets on ground and in the air with deadly precision, they said.
The militaries of both India and Pakistan are on a high alert following rising tensions between the two nations.
Soon after the Pahalgam terror attack, India, citing "cross-border linkages" to the strike, promised severe punishment to those involved in it.
In a high-level meeting with the top defence brass on April 29, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the armed forces have "complete operational freedom" to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India's response to the terror attack.
Air Chief Marshal A P Singh met Prime Minister Modi on Sunday and the Chief of Air Staff briefed him about the IAF's operational readiness.
On Saturday, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi apprised the prime minister on the overall situation in the critical sea lanes in the Arabian Sea.
