Dharampur-Kasauli road dug up for water project, traffic hit

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Solan, January 29

Traffic on the Dharampur-Kasauli road is disrupted everyday due to the ongoing work to lay thick pipes for a potable water project. Motorists have to negotiate between mounds of muck and earth excavation machines while driving on the road. Two-wheeler riders face a bigger risk of skidding on it. Those commuting to their offices in the morning face a harrowing time as vehicles line up each time the excavation machines operate.

“The work to lay pipes should either be undertaken at night or the road should be closed for vehicular traffic as one ends up spending a lot of time negotiating curves where the work is underway,” rues Rakesh, a daily officer-goer who commutes from Dharampur to Kasauli.

As motorists can use an arterial road through Sanwara, the Jal Shakti Department executing the work should seek the closure of this dilapidated road. The work to lay pipes is to be completed by March-end, failing which Central funds can lapse. Hence, the contractor is in a tearing hurry to lay thick pipes by excavating the Dharampur-Sanawar road.

The work initiated in 2021 is part of a Rs 102-crore project funded by the Jal Jiwan Mission (JJM) and National Bank for Agriculture Development (NABARD). Earlier, it was to be commissioned by July 2023.

A sum of Rs 70 lakh has been deposited with the Public Works Department (PWD) for damage caused to the road.