M A I N   N E W S

Many roads closed
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 19 — Incessant rains in the past two days has left several roads blocked, seriously effecting vehicular traffic. The worst hit has been Himachal Pradesh where the Hindustan - Tibet road and several link roads in the apple belt are blocked. Roads in the foothills of Haryana and Punjab are also blocked and bridges have caved in at several places.

The Patiala-Chandigarh and Patiala-Nabha roads were reopened today. However, several villages located far away from the main roads in Ambala , Patiala, Ropar and Yamunanagar are still cut off as the link roads have been breached by the villagers to allow the water to flow past.

Some of the roads that are still closed:

• The Hindustan-Tibet Road beyond Rampur.
• Roads to interior areas comprising the “apple belt” like Rohru and Chaupal in Himachal Pradesh.
• Kumarhatti-Nahan .
• Ropar-Nalagarh.
• Roads that have been re-opened:
• Chandigarh-Shimla
• Chandigarh-Patiala
• Patiala-Nabha
• Roads facing flood threat:
• Ropar-Una.
• Panchkula-Naraingarh
• Ropar-Nawanshahr.