Baramulla, Jan 3: Recurring landslides near Eco Park on the Baramulla-Uri highway have emerged as a major cause of concern for commuters and residents, who blame poor supervision and unscientific execution of the ongoing road expansion work for the repeated disruptions.
On Friday, traffic movement on the highway remained suspended for several hours after landslides, triggered by ongoing drilling and excavation work for road expansion, hit the road stretch near Eco Park, causing panic among commuters who were stranded for hours.
Vehicles came to a complete halt as debris and loose rocks blocked the road, forcing authorities to temporarily suspend traffic to prevent any mishaps. One-way traffic was restored after several hours.
Locals said such incidents have become routine ever since the road expansion work began on the Baramulla-Uri highway.
The highway is currently undergoing expansion under the supervision of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). The NH-01 expansion project has been divided into several packages, with contracts awarded to different companies under BRO.
However, residents and civil society members have raised serious concerns over the lack of supervision and poor execution of work, which they believe is a major reason behind the recurring landslides.
Muhammad Ashraf, a resident and civil society member, said that although the contract for the road expansion has been awarded to a Haryana-based company by the BRO, the execution on the ground is largely being carried out by local contractors without proper technical supervision.
“The concerned company must supervise the entire project. Drilling and excavation activities involved in cutting the mountain are highly sensitive and should be carried out strictly under the supervision of qualified engineers. In the absence of such supervision, landslides on this stretch have become the norm,” Ashraf said.
The Srinagar-Baramulla-Uri stretch of NH-01 is a major infrastructure initiative. Whilst the four-lane project on the Srinagar-Baramulla section is nearing completion, the Baramulla-Uri double-lane widening is still underway and is expected to be completed by 2027.
Several local construction firms are also involved in smaller maintenance and surface works along the route.
The Baramulla-Uri two-lane upgrade forms a crucial component of the Srinagar-Baramulla four-lane project, a flagship initiative of the J&K administration aimed at improving connectivity.
The Srinagar-Baramulla stretch has seen significant progress across major packages, including Narbal-Pattan, Tapper-Sangrama, the Sangrama flyover, and the Delina flyover, covering over 96 hectares of land.
However, locals fear that discrepancies and a lack of monitoring in the Baramulla-Uri section could not only endanger lives but also undermine public trust in the ambitious infrastructure project.