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The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway (NH-44) isn’t just any road. It’s the only road that connects Kashmir to the rest of India. It’s how people travel, how goods are moved, how tourists get in, and how the military stays connected. But despite big promises and loads of money spent to turn it into an “all-weather” expressway, the highway is now more famous for landslides, traffic jams, and construction disasters than smooth driving.
It All Started with a Big Plan
Back in 2011, the government decided to give NH-44 a major upgrade. The goal? Turn it into a modern four-lane highway that would work all year long—rain, snow, or shine.
The road was split into different sections with big reports made by consultants to figure out how best to expand it. On the Kashmir side, most of the route was changed, and that part got done by 2017. Around the same time, the Jammu-Udhampur section was also finished.
Then came the famous Chenani-Nashri Tunnel, which helped avoid some really risky, landslide-prone areas. Things were looking good—until the construction hit the mountains around Ramban and Banihal.
Where It All Started Going Wrong
The Ramban-Banihal stretch turned into a nightmare. The original plan involved cutting vertical slopes along the old road to make it wider. But here’s the shocking part: this was done without properly checking how unstable the land was.
As construction started, hills were chopped up, slopes got weak, and landslides started happening—again and again. Work slowed down, and it became clear that the plan was a disaster. The consulting firm was blacklisted and fined, but the damage to the environment couldn’t be reversed. What used to be stable land became a dangerous zone.
A Second Chance That Didn’t Go as Planned
To fix things, the government brought in a new consultant who actually studied the region’s geology properly. This time, the plan was to build five tunnels to go around the dangerous parts. It sounded like a smart move. The tenders went out. Work started again.
But even this new plan started to fall apart.
In 2023, one of the key projects—a tunnel at Cafeteria Morh—collapsed. The rock was too soft, and cracks formed inside the tunnel. Work stopped. Engineers tried to come up with a backup idea: a canopy over the road. But that had its own problems. Then, in March 2025, rain hit again, and the road sank. Only one lane was usable, and once again, the highway’s design failed to hold up.
Experts now say the better option might have been to just extend the Ramban viaduct, which would have avoided disturbing the already fragile land.
Three Years of Work—Gone in One Rainfall
Recently, in the Seri area of Ramban, the government had put in rock bolts, nets, and special mats to stop landslides. It took three years of work. Then one bout of heavy rain hit—and wiped out all of it. Gone. Just like that.
This has raised serious questions. Was the work done properly? Were the designs even followed? Or did the new project report once again fail to understand how unstable this area really is?
The Road Is Failing Where It Matters Most
Some areas, like Kela Morh and Panthal, are well-known for their landslides. Even with tunnels and canopy covers, the road still keeps breaking down. During the most recent rains, those structures failed too. Parts of the road got destroyed. People died.
In Battery Chashma, the road was completely washed away. Vehicles fell into deep gorges. Thousands of travelers were left stuck for hours—or even days. For a road that’s supposed to be “all-weather,” it clearly can’t handle a single day of rain.
People Are Frustrated—and Rightly So
Naturally, people are angry. And they’re asking the obvious question: if thousands of crores were spent on this road, why does it keep collapsing?
Some blame bad engineering. Others point to weak project reports. And many say there’s just no real monitoring or accountability. Sure, consultants have been blacklisted and fined. But how does that help the people who lost loved ones? Or the thousands who are stranded every time it rains?
It Only Took One Day to Expose the Truth
One day of rain—that’s all it took to shut down traffic and expose how weak the highway really is. The big promises of a world-class, all-weather expressway fell apart with a single downpour.
And what makes it worse is this: the government’s Public Investment Board (PIB) recently rejected a plan to build two more tunnels on NH-244, saying NH-44 already provides good year-round connectivity.
After everything that’s happened, that decision looks not just wrong—it looks dangerous.
What Needs to Happen Now
It’s clear the current way of building roads in this region isn’t working. So what should change?
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First, project reports need to be based on solid, scientific research—not guesswork.
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Consultants must be held responsible for failures.
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Construction should be done exactly the way it’s designed—no shortcuts.
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There should be regular audits to check that things are on track.
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And most importantly, alternative roads should be built so the whole region doesn’t depend on just one highway.
This Isn’t Just About a Road
NH-44 was supposed to be a symbol of progress and connection. Instead, it’s become a painful reminder of what happens when big promises aren’t backed by real accountability.
At the end of the day, this isn’t just about road construction. It’s about building things that are safe, strong, and built to last—because right now, the people of Jammu and Kashmir are paying the price for someone else’s mistakes.
