The recent disruption of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway has once again revealed the fragility of Jammu and Kashmir’s connectivity framework. For nearly ten days, when landslides and road damage at Udhampur brought the region’s primary lifeline to a halt, the historic Mughal Road rose quietly to the occasion, carrying the weight of a valley’s needs. Laden with essential food grains, vegetables, fuel, and the valley’s famed fruit harvest, convoys crawled along its narrow curves, reminding us that this centuries-old passage is not just a route through mountains but a bridge between resilience and survival.
Yet, the Mughal Road’s emergence as a lifeline has also laid bare its limitations. Designed as a modest mountain road, it now groans under the pressure of heavy trucks, endless traffic snarls, and congestion at Pir Ki Gali. For truckers and fruit growers, the journey is not merely long but uncertain, where hours stretch into days and losses mount with every delay. The hardship of these journeys carries a quiet but urgent message: the time has come to envision the Mughal Road not as a backup but as a future-ready arterial corridor. The idea of upgrading this route into a four-lane highway with tunnels is more than an infrastructural aspiration; it is a vision for stability and continuity. A modern Mughal Road would not only ease the Valley’s reliance on the perpetually vulnerable national highway but would also secure the region’s economic arteries from the recurring shocks of nature. It would mean a new confidence for fruit growers, traders, and transporters who live in constant anxiety over blocked highways and perishable goods. It would mean a smoother rhythm for daily life, where supply lines are not at the mercy of weather and landslides. This vision must extend beyond the Mughal Road alone. The Jammu-Poonch corridor, too, is under growing strain, carrying traffic volumes for which it was never designed. Together, these two arteries, if strengthened and modernized, can offer Jammu and Kashmir a resilient connectivity framework, one that weaves security into the everyday and transforms crisis into continuity. The Mughal Road stands at a symbolic crossroads of heritage and progress. It carries the echoes of emperors and caravans, but today, it carries the hopes of a people who want their future to be less uncertain. By reimagining this historic route as a modern highway, we do more than ease traffic; we invest in trust, in reliability, and in the promise that the Valley will never again be cut adrift from the rest of the nation. The lessons of the present disruption must become the foundation for tomorrow’s planning. Temporary restorations will keep repeating the cycle of inconvenience and loss. Visionary policy, backed by determined execution, can break this cycle and gift Jammu and Kashmir the connectivity it deserves. The Mughal Road, once a forgotten mountain passage, is ready to become a symbol of resilience, integration, and forward-looking development. What is needed now is the courage to match the people’s endurance with the government’s resolve so that the lifeline of today becomes the secure artery of tomorrow.
The recurring crises caused by highway disruptions make it imperative for both the Central Government and the Jammu and Kashmir administration to look beyond temporary fixes and adopt a long-term connectivity vision rooted in resilience and sustainability. Alongside four-laning and tunnel projects, there is a pressing need to diversify transport infrastructure through the development of alternate corridors, including new bypasses and inter-district link roads that can share the load during emergencies. Investment in advanced slope stabilization technologies, weather-resilient construction, and continuous monitoring systems should be prioritized to minimize road vulnerabilities. At the same time, the governments must explore expanding rail connectivity deeper into Rajouri, Poonch, and Shopian, thereby creating a parallel and reliable backbone for freight and passenger movement. Public-private partnerships in logistics, smart traffic management, and renewable energy integration on highways can further strengthen this framework. Such a comprehensive approach will transform connectivity from a seasonal challenge into a secure national asset.