Ramban: Around 50 houses have developed cracks, and a five-kilometer stretch of the Ramban-Gool road caved in, in Pir Panchal’s Ramban district on Thursday evening, according to officials.
Around 50 residential houses have developed cracks in Pernote area of Ramban. However, the affected families have been evacuated.
Moreover, the road has also been blocked with no vehicles allowed to ply on along the route.
Deep Kumar, Tehsildar Ramban said: ‘The authorities are assessing the damage to properties’.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Ramban, Baseer-Ul-Haq Chaudhary informed that the power supply was suspended in the area and the restoration work for road connectivity is underway.
In a post on X, he said: "Massive subsidence/sinking at km 5 on Ramban-Gool Road! Road blocked, all vehicles halted. Restoration work underway for road connectivity and power supply affected by road sinking. Ramban-Gool road currently blocked”.
He further directed immediate restoration of road connectivity, electricity and availability of essential services including placing of Ambulance at the site between Ramban-Gool main road at Pernote.
It is pertinent to mention that authorities have been working to minimize the travel distance between Jammu and Srinagar from 9-10 hours to 4-5 hours by constructing more tunnels, bridges, and viaducts.
Such land subsidence is often reported from the mountains of Pir Panchal, with residents and environmental experts blaming the ongoing Katra-Banihal railway line and construction on National Highway 244, which connects the Chenab region's Doda and Kishtwar districts in Jammu to South Kashmir's Anantnag district, as potential causes of the land subsidence.
These projects involve extensive tunnelling, excavation and bridge construction in the sensitive Pir Panchal mountains.
Additionally, the 850-MW Ratle hydropower project, being built about 7 km away from Thathri, is also seen as a cause of the crisis.
Last year, five tunnels were opened between the two major tunnels of Qazigund-Banihal and Chenani-Nashri tunnel, and three more tunnels are under construction.
(KNO Inputs)