Thanks to poor roads, reaching Andreta a Herculean task
Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, August 30
All roads leading to Andreta, known as village of artists that attracts a large numbers of Indian and foreign tourists, are in tatters.
Residents and tourists are complaining that the condition of the roads is such that their vehicles are getting damaged.
Hirday Paul Singh, general secretary of the Sobha Singh Memorial Art Society, said three roads led to Andreta. The condition of these roads was bad. The art gallery that has about 50 world famous paintings is located in Andreta. The gallery attracts about 50,000 national and international tourists every year. This year many VIPs, including a governor and many senior bureaucrats and judges, visited it. However, the bad roads to the village are bringing a bad name to the state and the area, Hirday Paul Singh said.
Besides the art gallery, Andretta village has a house of Norah Richards, a famous playwriter. Her mud house has been converted into a gallery. Many drama teams from Punjab visit her house every year and organise theatre there.
A Punjabi University team organises a mela here every year. Andreta village also has the land of Prithvi Raj Kapoor, who used to visit Norah Richard and Sobha Singh. The family still owns a land in Andreta. The beautiful village also inspired famous Punjabi writer Amrita Pritam to write a novel “Agojar Dian Parian”. Varinder Sharma, executive engineer, PWD, Baijnath, said the condition of roads had worsened in monsoon. The repairs of the road would be carried out after the monsoon.
He said there was no shortage of funds. The residents of the area allege that during elections, Congress leaders blamed the BJP for poor roads. However, even the Congress has not been able to improve the condition of roads.
