Jammu, July 28 -- At least 1,700 trucks, along with numerous passenger vehicles, were left stranded after a fresh landslide on Monday blocked the 250-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH) in the Udhampur district, while the main bridge in the Doda district was temporarily closed to vehicular movement after suspected cracks triggered a safety inspection, officials said. "After a fresh landslide at Dewal in Udhampur, nearly 1,700 trucks and numerous passenger vehicles were stranded between Udhampur and Banihal. They are being cleared through the single carriageway while repairs to the bumpy road surface are underway," said a police officer. A massive landslide had struck at Dewal on the highway early Monday, forcing authorities to suspend vehicular traffic from both directions. The police said that they are prioritising the passenger vehicles. "However, no fresh vehicles from Jammu towards Srinagar, Doda, Ramban, Patnitop etc., or vice versa shall be allowed until the restoration work is completed," headded. Police has advised the commuters to avoid travelling until the road is declared safe and clear for traffic, as there is an apprehension of further landslides and shooting stones. However, officials said a fresh batch of 3,823 Amarnath pilgrims, travelling in a 140-vehicle convoy to the Baltal base camp under tight security, was allowed to cross the affected stretch after authorities restored one-way traffic on the highway. Authorities also closed Pul Doda bridge late Sunday night after it developed cracks that raised safety concerns. The bridge connects Doda town with Jammu-Kishtwar NH 244. "The bridge over Chenab River has been closed for traffic movement. However, traffic has been diverted to Ganpat Bridge," said a police officer. An official of the public works department (PWD), said an inspection by engineers found that the cracks were not structural cracks but were likely caused by concrete overlap at shuttering joints during construction. However, an expert team had also been called in to independently assess the bridge andconduct quality checks to ensure there were no structuraldefects. Meanwhile, a fresh land subsidence on Sunday has cut off Gool sub-division from Ramban district headquarters. Fresh land subsidence triggered by monsoon rains has once again forced the closure of the vital Ramban-Gool Road at Parnote in Ramban district, cutting off Gool sub-division and several adjoining areas from the district headquarters, said an official. Ramban deputy magistrate Mohammad Ilyas Khan saidthat he personally visited the affected site and assessed the situation. "Around 300 metre stretch of a vital road has sunk. Since the road falls under BRO, it has started restoration work. A similar land subsidence had taken place in the same area a couple of years ago. At that time we had to evacuate civilians to safer areas," said Khan. As a precautionary measure, traffic has been suspended for all types of vehicles until the damaged section was repaired and declared safe, said the deputy magistrate. Meanwhile, the army has deployed a specially trained dog squad to aid the search for a government employee washed away in flash floods in Rajouri district. Rescue teams have intensified efforts to locate six other missing victims in neighbouring Poonch district. The missing employee Abdul Ghani, a daily-wage worker for the Jal Shakti Department has been missing since July 19. He was inside a water pumping station when the incident happened. The MeT has predicted moderate to heavy rains across Jammu and Kashmir from Tuesday. In an update, the MeT said that light to moderate and heavy rains were expected from July 28 to 31 in various regions of the Union Territory. In Kashmir division, few spells of light to moderate rain and thundershowers are expected at most places with possibility of brief intense heavy showers in few districts generally towards early morning and late evening hours. Similarly Jammu may witness light to moderate rain at most places with possibility of torrential rain or brief intense heavy showers at few districtswith peak activity during July 30-31. "There is possibility of heavy rain and brief intense heavy showers at few dists of Jammu division during 28-31 July with heavy to very heavy rainfall over Udhampur & adjoining areas on July 30," the update said. "Torrential rain may generate flashfloods, landslides and mudslides at many vulnerable places during July 28-31," it said....