Commuters use incomplete road, risk lives

Chamba, June 8

The Rakh-Dhanada route, on which four persons were killed after their vehicle veered off the road and fell 200 m down near Dundai on Thursday, is currently under construction and has not received approval from the Public Works Department (PWD) for vehicular movement.

However, commuters are using the road, which lacks essential safety measures such as crash barriers and parapets to prevent vehicles from falling off the edge.

As soon as the road cutting work was completed, residents started using the stretch, ignoring safety concerns. The uneven road is filled with stones and soil, significantly increasing the chances of accidents. The road levelling work for vehicular traffic is still in progress.

PWD Executive Engineer Meet Kumar said the route where the accident occurred is still under construction. The road levelling work and installation of crash barriers at crucial points are yet to be finished.

Residents mourn teen’s death a day before birthday

June 7 was a special day for 15-year-old Chaman Kumar as it was his birthday. To make the day memorable he, along with his brother-in-law Ankush, was on his way to Rakh for buying a cake. However, the day took a tragic turn when the vehicle they were travelling in met with an accident. Chaman’s sister and brother-in-law had come from Nurpur to celebrate his birthday.

On Thursday, after the accident, Ankush regained consciousness at the Medical College. Later, he came to know that Chaman had died on the spot.

Dulada Sarpanch Kanchan said, “The heartbreaking incident has cast a pall of gloom over the entire area.”