Once again, the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway and the Mughal Road lie crippled under the twin weight of extreme weather and fragile engineering. For Kashmir and Ladakh, home to nearly 9 million people an existential crisis has surfaced in the last week. Every time such closure of the highway happens, crucial lifelines of food, fuel and medicines are cut off, while the fruit industry, the backbone of Kashmir’s rural economy, reels under uncertainty and mounting losses. Trucks loaded with perishable produce stand stranded for days, and as more harvest comes in, the looming fear of wastage grows.
The highway, despite being labelled as an “all-weather road,” has repeatedly shown its vulnerabilities. Landslides, sinking stretches and collapses are becoming more frequent, not only between Banihal and Ramban but alarmingly even along the supposedly stable Ramban–Udhampur sector. This raises fundamental questions: is the engineering of this highway aligned with global best practices in mountain road construction? Or have short-term fixes replaced sustainable, long-term planning?
Climate change has added a new, unforgiving dimension. Extreme rainfall events, once rare, are now becoming the norm. Himalayan geology is fragile, but poor design choices and unscientific execution have worsened the crisis. In such a scenario, merely patching up damaged stretches is no longer viable. Kashmir needs a paradigm shift in how its vital road arteries are conceived and maintained.
The government must urgently initiate a comprehensive review of the highway’s engineering standards. International expertise on mountain infrastructure, climate-resilient design and disaster risk reduction must be brought in. Simultaneously, investment in alternative connectivity, whether through additional tunnels, better-maintained Mughal and Sinthan roads, or even reviving rail and air cargo capacity, has to be prioritized. A region so dependent on a single artery cannot afford perpetual vulnerability.
Kashmir’s road crisis is not just about asphalt and concrete; it is about the economic survival and dignity of its people. Long-term, sustainable solutions, not temporary band-aids, must guide the way forward.
