Jammu Jan 24 PTI Taking a serious note of a rice-loaded truck getting stuck for nearly 30 hours on Jammu-Srinagar national highway Jammu and Kashmir administration on Monday directed the officials to take strict action against overloaded load carriers It has also directed for opening of Panthiyal tunnel by middle of April to bypass the landslide stretch The directions were passed by Chief Secretary A K Mehta at a meeting which was convened to review the condition of the 270-km highway - the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country- here an official spokesman said The strategic highway was cleared for stranded vehicles Monday afternoon after road clearance agencies pulled out the truck that was stuck in mud near Panthiyal in Ramban district for nearly 30 hours The Chief Secretary was apprised of the recent traffic disruption on the highway due to the breakdown of an overloaded vehicle carrying 36-ton dry ration in violation of the laid down norms the spokesman said He said Mehta directed for ascertaining reasons for the incident to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future He also directed the National Highways Authority of India NNHAI and traffic police to forthwith put in place a mechanism for calibrated checking of all load carriers to prevent plying of overloaded vehicles which not only disrupts the usual traffic flow but also compromises the road quality the spokesman said Mehta maintained that all load-carrying vehicles are to be passed through weighing bridges at toll plazas in a staggered manner to avoid any jams and action against overloaded vehicles is to be initiated to ensure smooth flow of traffic Reviewing the progress of works at the Panthiyal Tunnel the Chief Secretary directed the NHAI to double its efforts and complete the pending works by April 15 The Chief Secretary emphasized that on completion the tunnel will provide reliable connectivity by-passing the current landslide-prone stretch of NH-44 and as such will provide safe and secure transit to vehicles To further facilitate smooth traffic flow on the Ramban-Banihal stretch of the highway the traffic police and district administration were directed to properly demarcate single-lane driving zones and ensure lane-driving and traffic discipline among the commuters the spokesman said Mehta also stressed the need for wearing of body cameras by traffic police and regular drives to check traffic violations he said PTI TAS AB CK

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 18 (ANI): The National Highway-5 (NH-5) which was closed due to a landslide at Chaura in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh has been opened for light motor vehicles on Saturday, informed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials

New Delhi [India], September 14 (ANI): In view of a possible rise in the levels of air pollution with the onset of October in the national capital, the Delhi government on Tuesday ordered all concerned departments to begin preparing a winter action plan by September 21.

Jalore (Rajasthan) [India], September 9 (ANI): Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that the country is prepared to defend its unity, integrity and sovereignty and is capable to deal with any challenges.

Jammu Aug 30 PTI Four houses were damaged in a landslide in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday officials said There was no report of any death or injury to anyone The houses were damaged at Kunfer village of Chanderkote along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway the officials said The residents claimed the landslide was caused due to the ongoing work on the highway expansion project Ramban Deputy Commissioner Mussarat Islam visited the village to take stock of the situation following the landslide He assured the affected people of every possible help from the district administration for their rehabilitation Islam directed the tehsildar to immediately submit a loss assessment report for grant of relief according to an official spokesman He also assured the families that their demand for compensation for the damage will be forwarded to the National Highways Authority of India PTI TAS AB SMN SMN

Tehri Garhwal (Uttarakhand) [India], August 27 (ANI): A section of road on Rishikesh-Gangotri National Highway, NH-94 near Fakot in Uttarakhand's Tehri Garhwal was damaged on Friday due to incessant rain.