Nowshera, September 14: The Jammu–Poonch highway was thrown into complete chaos today after an overloaded trailer overturned at a crucial curve near Narian at around 6:30 PM, bringing traffic on the vital Jammu–Poonch route to a standstill.
With the main highway blocked, commuters were compelled to use the Rani Bedhater Road, a narrow single-lane PMGSY road. The sudden diversion of a large number of vehicles, including heavy vehicles, resulted in another massive traffic jam on the road. The situation became so serious that even some legislators and senior police officers were reportedly caught in the congestion.
The incident has once again exposed the lack of a dependable alternative road network in the Nowshera area. The absence of effective traffic-management arrangements at the critical points further compounded the difficulties being faced by commuters, patients, transporters and local residents.
Ch. Rashid Azam Inqlabi, Advocate and former Dy. Commissioner, strongly urged the Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister to take immediate cognizance of the situation and issue directions for urgent widening, strengthening and improvement of Rani Bedhater Road.
Inqlabi said that the road should not remain merely a village/PMGSY link; it must be developed as a proper emergency alternative route for Rajouri–Nowshera, capable of handling diverted traffic whenever the Jammu–Poonch highway is blocked due to accidents, landslides or other emergencies.
He appealed for time-bound action rather than temporary traffic arrangements after every crisis, stating that today’s blockade should serve as a wake-up call for the administration.
“Rani Bedhater Road must be widened before the next emergency, not after it,” Inqlabi said.
