Damaged crash barrier at black spot in Kasauli poses risk to motorists

Tribune News Service

Ambika Sharma

Solan, October 11

A damaged crash barrier at a precarious black spot on the narrow Baand-Chamiya link road in Kasauli tehsil has become a potential risk for motorists.

A portion of the road bearing the crash barrier had sunk in during rains and it has not been repaired in the last two months. With a steep gorge along the stretch, the risk of accidents has increased multifold.

A small temple was constructed at the said spot by locals after a spate of accidents took place in the past. It has been declared a black spot and the PWD has also erected a signage, cautioning motorists to drive cautiously on that stretch.

Apart from villagers, the single-lane link road is used by multi-axle vehicles from the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial belt to transport heavy items like iron and steel products. Though the narrow road is not meant for carrying industrial goods, in the absence of any restriction, it is conveniently used as an escape route to avoid taxes.

Transport buses from the BBN industrial belt also ply on the road. Owing to its vulnerability, crash barriers have been erected on various stretches on this 14-km road from Baand-Chamiya by the PWD.

ML Sharma, Executive Engineer, PWD, Kasauli Division, said the retaining wall which had caved in during the rains would be repaired soon and a new crash barrier would also be erected on the Baand-Chamiya link road.

He agreed that the road was not meant for transporting industrial goods and added that though the Baddi police had been requested not to let heavy traffic ply on the road, it had not helped in curbing their movement.

Locals rue that multi-axle trucks and other vehicles which use the road to carry sand and bricks from the BBN area cause the maximum damage to it. Being a narrow road having several curves, it is not meant for such heavy traffic. The surface of the road has worn away in the absence of regular repair.

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