The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was partially restored for vehicular traffic on September 10, but only light vehicles are being allowed to ply, according to traffic police officials. This road is considered very vital for connectivity between rest of India and the Kashmir valley. Given its strategic importance, the Union government has invested heavily in its upgradation to make it a four-lane road.
On many, rather most stretches, hillsides have been cut to widen its span and it is a work in progress. However, the creation of Chenani tunnel (named after Shyama Prasad Mukherjee) and Banihal tunnel have helped the travellers immensely. Due to Chenani tunnel, the load carriers don’t have to do the steep climb to Patanitop. Similarly, the new tunnel at Banihal has helped avoid the very steep climb beyond Banihal town which earlier led to the Jawahar Tunnel.
Before this highway was expanded, and new tunnels constructed, it used to get blocked at Samroli, Nashri, Panthal (km 168 mark) and Khooni nallah. However, it was a surprise for the engineers working on this highway that a portion at Thard in Udhampur blocked it for one full week. The traffic comprising of Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) was allowed around 9 am on Wednesday, bringing relief to the passengers. However, there are hundreds of trucks that are stranded at different stretches of the highway still.
Meanwhile, offline classes in most government and private schools in all the 10 districts of the Jammu could not be resumed on Wednesday also. It was earlier expected that these classes, which have remained suspended since August 25, will be resumed on September 10 (Wednesday). This has happened mainly due to an order of the Director of School Education (DSE) Dr Naseem Javaid Chowdhary.
In an order issued on Tuesday evening, the Director has asked schools to first get a “structural safety audit of school buildings’’ done before resuming offline classes. His order DSEJ/GEN/46616-48 says: 2. Heads of Institutions (HOIs)/School Management Committees are directed to get a comprehensive safety audit of school buildings and submit the detailed report to the concerned authority. 3. HOIs/School Management Committees must evaluate the overall preparedness of their respective schools after obtaining the safety certificate.
This has created confusion among public, as also owners of private schools, and HOIs of government schools, regarding how to get the said “safety audit’’ done, and from which authority. For the government schools, it is only the engineers of the PWD (Public Works Department) who can do the certification. Does the PWD have as many engineers as are required to visit each and every school for inspecting and then issuing necessary “structural safety’’ certificates?
An engineer of the PWD, requesting anonymity, said: It takes time and effort to do a structural safety audit of any building. There are laid down criteria for checking the soil quality, quality of building materials used etc. Just seeing it with naked eyes and describing a building as safe, or otherwise, is not possible. For new buildings, made during the last few years, a certification of this nature can be done hurriedly. But older schools and those in the rural areas will suffer as the resumption of classes in the near future may not be possible.
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