Jammu, Sept. 5 -- The Kashmir Valley was cut off from the rest of the country as all surface links, including the 250 km long Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, were closed for traffic on Thursday due to multiple landslides and the washing away of road patches due to rain. The closure of highways and other inter-regional roads since August 26 has resulted in over 3,500 vehicles getting stuck at various places from Kathua to Kashmir. Besides this, important highways, including the Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch highway and the Batote-Doda-Kishtwar highway, are shut for traffic in view of landslides and the washing away of portions of roads. "Jammu-Srinagar NH, Mughal Road, Sinthan Road are closed due to multiple landslides and mudslides. Restoration works are on. People are advised not to travel on these roads till they are restored," said an advisory issued by the traffic police. Rail traffic has remained suspended in the Jammu railway division for the past nine days due to misalignment and breaches at multiple locations in the Pathankot-Jammu section following heavy rains and flash floods on August 26. Scores of people, especially pilgrims, were stranded as heavy rains lashed the Jammu region since August 26, severely disrupting rail and road traffic. A seven member inter-ministerial central team (IMCT) headed by Colonel KP Singh, advisor (operations and communication), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) visited flood affected areas of Kathua and Samba on Thursday. The team is on a five days visit to the region to asses the damages in the affected areas. "The senior central team led by Col KP Singh visited Kathua and Samba districts. It assessed the damage due to heavy rains. The team also reviewed the ongoing relief and rehabilitation operations," said a senior police officer. The officials also visited Lakhanpur, Sahar Khad bridge, AIIMS bridge and other areas that bore the brunt of recent monsoon fury. The team will also visit flood affected areas of Jammu, Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban, Kishtwar, Doda, Rajouri and Poonch districts till September 7. The officials also received a feedback of the widespread damaged caused by heavy rains since August this year. Jammu region was battered by the heavy downpour in August that also saw over 150 deaths in rain related incidents. The team led by KP Singh included officials from power, finance, Jal Shakti, road transport and highways, rural development and agriculture departments. "The team conducted on the ground inspections and upon speeding up relief and reconstruction efforts to support the affected people," he said. The high-level team had reached Jammu on Wednesday, two days after the visit of Union home minister Amit Shah to the rain battered region. On Wednesday, Col KP Singh chaired the meeting at the Jammu divisional commissioner office to review the scale of damage in the Jammu region during the recent monsoon mayhem. Government of India has deputed an inter-ministerial central team for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation in wake of recent flash floods, cloudburst and landslides that caused extensive damages in the Jammu division. The team will submit a detailed report to the central government which will be used to access the damage and announce relief and reconstruction package to the affected people and region. Other senior officers who are part of the team include Navin Kumar Chaurasia, regional officer-Jammu of MoRTH; Arti Singh, deputy director, ministry of power, CEA; Rakesh Kumar, under secretary, ministry of rural development, Dr Vikram Singh, joint director, department of agriculture and farmers welfare; Shachi Jain, director, ministry of jal shakti; and Kandarp V Patel, deputy secretary, department of expenditure, ministry of finance While rains, by and large, have stopped across Jammu region since Wednesday around 3 pm bringing much needed relief to the panicky people, the Met department has forecast brief spell of rain and thunder at few places with moderate showers in one or two districts of Jammu region till Sunday. "A spell of moderate rain over few districts of Jammu division is likely on September 8 late night and September 9 morning and improvement thereafter," said a Met official. At least five employees of the 850 mw Ratle hydro electric project (HEP) at Drabshalla in Kishtwar district were injured in a landslide during early hours on Thursday. "The injured employees were immediately rescued and shifted to a hospital. They have suffered minor injuries," said an official. Out of the five injured, three have been shifted to GMC Doda for specialised treatment, while two were receiving medical care at SDH Thathri. In Ramban district, a total of 283 houses were damaged and 950 people were evacuated and shifted to the safer places in recent rains. "Out of 182 total roads, initially 75 roads were affected in rains and 55 roads were restored. Later, due to continuous rainfall 84 roads were again damaged/closed and 30 of them are restored and restoration process is still going on," said Ramban DC Mohammad Alyas Khan. He informed that 15 lodgement centres and relief camps have been set up in the district, accommodating over 650 people and providing them food, bedding and medical facilities. Moreover, six medical camps have been established to look after the displaced families in different lodgement centres and relief camps," he added....