Cracks force closure of Dharampur-Kasauli road

The picturesque Dharampur-Kasauli road, a lifeline for commuters, office-goers and tourists headed to the hill station, has been abruptly closed after alarming cracks surfaced near the PA Pinions industrial unit. The damage, officials say, is the result of neglected slope protection along excavated hillsides during highway widening, leaving the stretch dangerously vulnerable in the face of relentless rain.

Cracks were first noticed three days ago by staff from a nearby hotel and industrial unit, who raised the alarm. Continuous downpours over the past four days have worsened the situation, with rainwater seeping into the fragile slopes, triggering visible fissures across the road surface. Two critical points — near Whispering Winds Hotel and PA Pinions — have become particularly unsafe, forcing authorities to block traffic.

The closure is a severe blow to connectivity. The road is not only the main access route from Dharampur and Solan to Kasauli but is also used daily by advocates, office-goers and residents traveling from Chandigarh. With the alternate Sanawar route also hampered by landslides and fallen trees, access to Kasauli has now become perilous, especially for patients requiring urgent medical attention.

The damage has not spared adjoining establishments. “A section of our plant as well as a guest house located on the hillside of the road has been damaged, with cracks creeping into the buildings. It has rendered them unsafe and caused huge financial losses,” lamented Kanwaljit Singh, a senior official of PA Pinions.

In an attempt to mitigate further damage, authorities have hurriedly spread tarpaulin sheets across the worst-hit portion of the road to block further seepage. An electricity pole standing on the edge of the collapsing slope now faces the risk of toppling in the next heavy downpour.

Officials have placed the blame squarely on the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for failing to undertake timely slope stabilisation work during road widening. Excavation without protection, they argue, has left the terrain prone to collapse. Large cracks, coupled with gradual sinking of sections, have become increasingly visible.

This is not the first time the stretch has suffered. In August 2022, a sizable portion had already eroded due to four-laning work. The PWD was forced to spend crores on rebuilding by acquiring additional hillside land and felling 45 trees to lay a fresh road. Ironically, the new damage lies just a kilometre from that repaired stretch, underscoring the recurring vulnerability.

While the NHAI attributes the damage to the lack of proper drainage on the Dharampur-Kasauli road, experts argue that poor design and shoddy execution are at fault. With culverts and drains insufficient to handle heavy runoff, water continues to destabilise the slopes.

“The Solan DC has been apprised about the large-scale damage through official communication. Efforts are underway to assess the cracks and devise repair measures, but given their scale, the destruction appears colossal,” said Gurminder Rana, Executive Engineer, PWD Kasauli Division. He expressed regret over the delay in slope protection, calling the present disaster “a direct result of negligence.”

Rana highlighted that a 60-metre stretch of road has developed cracks due to careless excavation work by the NHAI. He recalled that a similar lapse in July 2023 had forced closure of the road for 25 days after erosion damaged a major section. No protective measures of adequate strength were taken, and the stone masonry breast walls later collapsed. Even attempts by the PWD to restore the road proved ineffective without proper support from NHAI. Rana urged the authority to undertake geological studies of the site and construct a retaining wall of adequate cross section and strength to prevent further settlement, instead of resorting to weak and unsustainable methods like stone masonry.

For now, the Dharampur-Kasauli road remains off-limits, leaving the hill town increasingly cut off and its residents, visitors and patients in limbo.