Damaged during rain disaster, Sanawar road awaits repair

Ambika Sharma

Solan, November 2

Nearly two months after having suffered heavy damage in the monsoon rains, the Dharampur-Sanawar-Kasauli road is awaiting repairs and restoration. A sizable portion of the road had caved in at various spots and immediate maintenance work is badly needed.

Restoration efforts afoot

Efforts are afoot to repair the road. A tender worth Rs 4 crore has been awarded for overhauling the alternate Dharampur-Sanwara-Kasauli road. The work is expected to finish by March end. Vishal Bhardwaj, SDO, PWD

A 100-m stretch at Bandkhor bore the brunt of the rains and has now become a dumping yard where mounds of debris has been piling up. The authorities are yet to initiate action and check further damage. Emboldened by the lack of action by the staff of the Public Works Department (PWD), builders engaged in construction activities are further damaging the road at various places as they have dug up the road for transporting their material.

With no check on such activities, the condition of the road is deteriorating with each passing day. Commuters continue to face wear and tear of their vehicles crossing the stretch and traffic snarls have become a common sight.

“The stretch from Bandkhor to Moti Kona is facing damage owing to reckless dumping of muck and digging activities by the realtors,” rued Sunil, a local resident.

A curve near Sukhi Jori has eroded and damaged a culvert. Only a single vehicle can cross the stretch at a time. Nothing has been done to prevent further damage ever since the rains subsided in mid-September.

Thousands of vehicles use the road to reach Kasauli on a daily basis. The volume of traffic increases manifold during the weekends. Movement of vehicles at various places has been affected due to its deteriorating condition and the danger of vehicles slipping into the valley remains high.

With the alternative road from Dharampur-Kasauli already facing damage owing to erosion of its foundation, the Dharampur-Sanawar road is preferred route to Kasauli as it is shorter.