Narrow roads &livestock movement bring the highway to a crawl   Srinagar, Oct 15: The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway (NH-44), the only all-weather surface link connecting Kashmir with the rest of India, remained heavily congested for the third consecutive day on Wednesday. Massive traffic jams brought movement between Ramban and Banihal to a near standstill, frustrating travelers and transporters alike. The severe congestion, worst of the season, was caused by the ongoingnomadic migration, single-lane stretches due to roadworks, and multiple vehicle breakdowns. Each year, thousands of nomadic families, mainly Bakarwals and Gujjars, migrate from Kashmir’s high-altitude pastures to the warmer plains of Jammu, following a centuries-old seasonal tradition. This year, their movement on the narrow two-lane highway, combined with thousands of trucks carrying essential goods and fruit-laden vehicles, created long queues stretching for several kilometers on Tuesday and Wednesday. Manzoor Ahmad, a truck driver transporting apples from Shopian to Delhi, said he had been stuck near Nachlana since midnight. “The road is completely jammed. Animals are moving on one side and heavy trucks on the other. There is chaos everywhere,” he said. Ahmad added that each hour of delay increases the risk of spoilage of perishable goods, causing huge losses for fruit growers. Passengers in private vehicles and public transport shared similar frustrations. Rafiqa Begum, traveling to Jammu, said, “We left Srinagar at 6 a.m. but had barely covered 40 kilometers by afternoon. There is no proper management or regulation. Children and elderly people are exhausted.” The congestion was particularly severe near Marog, Mehar, Dewal, and Nashri, where the highway narrows to a single lane because of ongoing maintenance work. Dust, exhaust fumes, and the sound of honking vehicles filled the air as frustrated drivers and passengers waited in sweltering conditions. Locals in Ramban town said such traffic snarls have become a daily ordeal during the migration period. National Highways Authority of India, Regional Office, J&K Spokesperson said that despite temporary traffic jams on the Ramban-Banihal two-lane section due to seasonal nomadic migration, “NHAI has fully reopened the highway for uninterrupted two-way movement of all heavy vehicles,” he added. In response to the deteriorating situation, the Traffic Police Headquarters issued a detailed traffic advisory urging commuters to exercise caution and patience. Goods carrier operators, especially those carrying fresh produce or livestock, have been asked to load their vehicles strictly as per official guidelines to avoid overloading and breakdowns. “Operators carrying perishable or live stock are advised to load their vehicles as per advisories issued by the Traffic Police Headquarters from time to time, as there is single-lane traffic and poor road conditions at Balinalla, Dewal, Nashri–Dalwas, and between Marog and KishtwariPather,” the advisory read. The police have also warned against overtaking and wrong-lane driving, stating that such behavior is a major cause of bottlenecks. Travelers have been urged to avoid non-essential journeys on NH-44 until the heavy movement of nomadic herds subsides. To ensure smoother regulation, light motor vehicles (LMVs) and private cars are being allowed to move in both directions  from Jammu towards Srinagar and vice versa  but only within specified time windows. As per the latest order, vehicles from Nagrota (Jammu) towards Srinagar are allowed between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., while those from Qazigund towards Jammu are permitted between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. Vehicles headed towards Doda, Kishtwar, and Ramban must adhere to similar schedules and cross the Nashri Tunnel before noon. Meanwhile, heavy motor vehicles (HMVs) are being allowed to move only on alternate days. Their movement is regulated from Jakheni (Udhampur) towards Srinagar after a ground assessment of road conditions by the Traffic Control Units (TCUs) in Udhampur and Ramban. The advisory also directed security forces to plan their convoy movement carefully and not to ply against the issued traffic plan to prevent additional congestion on narrow stretches. According to officials from the Jammu and Kashmir Traffic Police, traffic movement on the crucial highway remained extremely slow throughout the day. “There was slow movement observed on NH-44 due to single-lane traffic at Balinalla, Dewal, Nashri–Dalwas, and between Marog and KishtwariPather, in addition to the breakdown of five heavy motor vehicles (HMVs) and movement of 25 nomadic flocks between Marog and KishtwariPather,” a police spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that although road restoration work was completed recently by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), certain narrow stretches and ongoing repairs continue to restrict free movement of vehicles.