16-km key Solan road to get facelift after over a decade

Nearly a decade-and-a-half after the 16.38-km Kimmughat-Chakki Mor road was laid, it will be finally concretised with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) assistance of Rs 1.62 crore.

The stretch is among 35 roads approved for the NABARD funding in the state. The development had come as a major relief for locals who were awaiting the concretisation of the road for a long time as barely a few km stretch was done till now.

Residents as well as hoteliers were facing a lot of inconvenience as the road lacked a bituminous surface for want of adequate funds. It had developed potholes, giving a bumpy ride to motorists. The poor condition of the road had reduced its utility as an arterial route to Kasauli from the Kalka-Shimla highway.

Commuters travelling to Chandigarh from Garkhal and surrounding areas desisted from using the Kimmughat-Chakki Mor road owing to its poor condition.

Welcoming the move, Rocky Chimni, vice president, Kasauli Residents and Hoteliers Association, said, “The proper upkeep of this key road was a dire necessity as we pay GST worth crores every year. The lack of a proper road was keeping tourists away.”

For years, the association had vociferously pleaded for funds for the road. Rapid commercialisation had taken place along the road in the last two-and-a-half-decades with several hotels, homestay units and housing colonies coming up.

The road provides connectivity to 15 villages and serves as an alternative route for commuters going to Kasauli from the Kalka-Shimla national highway.

After a survey for the road was conducted in 1978, the lack of political will delayed its completion. In 1990, after repeated requests and persuasion by the villagers, Rs 15 lakh was paid to people whose land was acquired for the project. It took another nine years to get the land vacated even as compensation was paid to the landowners.

The demarcation for building the road was undertaken in 1996 by the PWD.

The first phase of the project comprising 7-km stretch was constructed in 2002 at a cost of Rs 1.06 crore. The work on 8-km stretch remained stuck for years for want of clearance under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.