SRINAGAR: The Uri National Highway in Jammu and Kashmir will remain temporarily closed on October 4 and October 11 to facilitate hill-cutting work being carried out by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), officials said on Saturday.
An order issued by Uri Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Prince Kumar on October 3 granted permission for the temporary closure of the highway on the two Sundays to enable uninterrupted execution of the hill-cutting work. Both closure days fall on Sundays, a scheduling officials said was chosen to minimise disruption to weekday traffic on the strategically important route.
The decision was taken on the basis of a request received from the Officer Commanding of the 53 Road Construction Company (RCC) of the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF), vide a letter dated September 11, along with subsequent communications regarding the requirement for temporary closure of the highway.
Copies of the order have been forwarded to Baramulla Deputy Commissioner Syeed Fakhrudin Hamid, Colonel K.D. Singhal of the 53 RCC at Mohura — working under Project BEACON of the Border Roads Organisation — and Uri Sub-Divisional Police Officer Tariq Ahmad Sofi for information and necessary coordination.
Alternative route, peak-hour safeguards
The SDM has advised the general public, commuters and transport operators to use the Bandi–Paranpillan–Dachi route as an alternative during both closure periods. Road users have been encouraged to plan their journeys in advance to avoid delays.
The order further directs that no hill-cutting work will be carried out on government office working days between 9 am and 10:30 am and between 3:30 pm and 5 pm. During these peak commuter hours, the executing agency has been directed to keep the road open for vehicular movement to facilitate the smooth passage of commuters.
The agency has also been instructed to take all necessary safety measures to ensure the protection of commuters and other road users during the execution of the hill-cutting work.
Officials said the hill-cutting is part of ongoing road improvement works aimed at widening stretches of the highway and reducing the risk of landslides and shooting stones, which frequently disrupt traffic on the route.
The Uri national highway is maintained by the Border Roads Organisation, whose men and machinery are employed round the clock to keep the strategic road — which connects the border town of Uri with the rest of the Kashmir Valley — traffic-worthy through difficult terrain and weather.
