Heavy rain block roads in Kupwara village

Kupwara, Aug 31: Heavy rain in Jammu and Kashmir has led to the blockage of roads due to landslides in Tad village in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.This comes a day after the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway at Bani Nallah was reopened for passage of vehicles carrying essentials. In a post on X, Union Minister Jitendra Singh wrote, “After a strenuous joint effort by District administration and NHAI, the blocked Jammu-Srinagar National Highway at Bani Nallah was opened yesterday for the passage of vehicles carrying essentials, but unfortunately, due to heavy rain, the earlier point at Tad has got blocked last night because of a landslide.”Singh further stated that Udhampur District Collector Saloni Rai was working to clear the route, adding that the route might be available for the passage of essential vehicles within four to five hours.  “Nevertheless, despite inclement weather, work is going on round the clock, DC Udhampur Smt Saloni Rai is on the spot and hopefully after 4 or 5 hours, the road might partly be made available for passage of essential vehicles,” the post further read.  Meanwhile, the Indian Army, along with Jammu and Kashmir Police, CRPF, UTDRF and other rescue teams, launched operations after a cloudburst hit Rajgarth Tehsil in Ramban district, where the flash floods have affected multiple locations, leaving four people dead, as per officials.  On Saturday, Deputy Commissioner Ramban, Mohammad Alyas Khan, along with Senior Superintendent of Police Arun Gupta, rushed to the site. The team was accompanied by personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Quick Response Team (QRT).  DC Khan personally oversaw the ongoing rescue and relief operations, with the district administration maintaining a high level of alertness.  At least four people were killed and one was reported missing after a cloudburst hit the Rajgarh area of Ramban district in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, officials said.