Allow movement when tunnel portals cleared of snow: Lahaul residents

Dipender Manta
Tribune News Service
Mandi, April 18

Residents of Lahaul-Spiti have urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to allow them to use the Rohtang tunnel between Kullu and the district once it is cleared of snow. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is undertaking snow removal work at the south and north portals of the tunnel from Manali and Lahaul side to facilitate traffic movement. Both the sides of the tunnel are closed since December because of heavy snowfall. If weather permits and there are no landslides or avalanches, the tunnel is expected to be cleared in a week.

The residents said the BRO was struggling to restore the 13,050-feet Rohtang Pass, the gateway to Lahaul on the Manali-Leh highway, for traffic but the job would take time to complete. The mighty Pass is usually restored for traffic in mid-May.

Mohan Lal, a resident of Lahaul, said “The BRO is facing challenges due to avalanches and landslides. It is expected that the organisation would connect the tunnel soon. So we have urged the Election Commission to allow traffic movement at least once in a week via the tunnel when the snow removal work is over. It will be a great help to us till the Rohtang Pass is restored for traffic movement.”

He said, “A large number of people want to move between Kullu-Manali and Lahaul-Spiti. They are suffering because of lack of chopper service. The state government provides helicopter service only in emergency cases to airlift patients or stranded people out of Lahaul-Spiti,” he said.

The people of the district have submitted a charter of demand to the Lahaul-Spiti administration.

Ashwani Kumar Chaudhari, Lahaul-Spiti Deputy Commissioner, said, “We have already written to the Election Commission over the issue, but haven’t received a reply yet. The BRO is working hard to restore the Pass for the movement of vehicles and we expect that it would be opened for traffic between Manali and Keylong soon.”

The residents’ demand

• The residents say the BRO is struggling to restore the 13,050-feet Rohtang  Pass, the gateway to Lahaul on the Manali-Leh highway, for traffic but the job will take time to complete due to regular avalanches and landslides. The mighty Pass is usually restored for traffic in mid-May
• The residents have urged the Election Commission to allow traffic movement at least once in a week via the Rohtang tunnel between Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti till the Rohtang Pass is restored for traffic movement