Shut since Dec, opening of Kunzum Pass sought

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, June 4

Residents of the Spiti valley have demanded the restoration of Kunzum Pass on the Manali-Kaza highway for traffic movement.

The Pass has been closed since December because of heavy snowfall. Due to its closure, the hotel industry of the valley is suffering as tourists intending to visit the Spiti valley have to move via Kinnaur district.

The Spiti valley, also known as cold desert in Himachal, is a favourite tourist destination of nature lovers, that receives a large number of foreign and domestic tourists every year between mid-May and mid-October for recreation purpose. The valley is famous for trekking routes and scenic view, which entice the visitors here.

Residents are lamenting that the work of restoration on the Manali–Kaza highway via Kunzum (at 15,060 feet) is going on at a snail’s pace. The highway has been lying closed for vehicular traffic for the past six months because of heavy snowfall at the Kunzum Pass and in its vicinity.

“Due to the closure of the road, the residents are cut off from the Lahaul valley and Kullu district. We have to travel all the way via Kinnaur-Shimla to reach Kullu, which makes the journey very hectic and costly.

A large number of local people are associated with the tourism industry here to sustain their livelihood, but due to delay in opening of the road, they are suffering huge losses,” they said.

Padma Dorje, Zila Parishad member of Kaza, told The Tribune, “Due to the delay in opening of this route, the hotel industry of the Spiti valley is suffering. Last year, this road was restored in mid-May The first week of June has passed, but the Pass has not been restored to traffic this year so far. Summer is the best season for hoteliers here in the Spiti valley, when they get brisk business. But the lack of road connectivity from Manali is a big blow for the tourism industry here.”

“We urge the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and the state government to speed up the restoration work of the road, which will be huge relief for the area residents”, he said.

When contacted, BRO officials said road-clearing teams were moving ahead from Spiti toward Chhota Darra, while another team was moving ahead from the Gramphu-Manali side toward Chhota Darra to restore the road for traffic.

“Team members are facing a huge difficulty from Gramphu ahead in the restoration work because of snow avalanches. At many places, we are facing even over 30 feet snow on the ground. We are targeting to restore the road till mid-June”, the BRO officials said.