Driving tough on bumpy Subathu-Darlaghat stretch

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, October 25

Uneven, bumpy and dusty roads fraught with gaping crevices have made driving a tedious job on the Subathu-Arki-Kunihar-Darlaghat major district road which is used by thousands of trucks to transport cement to Himachal and neighbouring states.

Improper drainage, narrow bridges

• The road is used by thousands of trucks to transport cement to Himachal and neighbouring states
• Lacking due repair, the road surface has eroded at several places. Improper drainage has resulted in gaping potholes which are visible at regular intervals
• Though certain areas of the road were widened in the last few years, three major bridges located on the Ghamber Khud continue to be single-lane

There were proposals to widen this road which connects two major cement plants - Ambuja Cements Limited and Ultratech. However, nothing has been done for its proper maintenance or repairs. Multifold increase in the traffic has been registered in the last two decades but the authorities concerned have not undertaken proportionate strengthening of the road. A major part of the road lines in the assembly constituency of the former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

While the cement plants have fetched employment to the locals, lack of enhancement in the infrastructure has become a bane for the residents.

“As many as 8,000 trucks carrying cement ply on this road and at least 30 per cent comprise multi-axle vehicles which carry weight ranging from 12 tonnes to 25 tonnes. Since operating larger trucks is considered economical, these trucks were being added to the fleet while older ones were being phased out,” informed SDM, Arki, Vikas Shukla.

Since the roads were not fit to bear such heavy weight, they were wearing away at a faster pace. Traffic jams are a regular feature as the narrow roads are inadequate to bear the regular influx of trucks. “The stretch of the road around Darlaghat is the worst affected as it has become uneven and bumpy due to lack of timely repair. Plumes of dust can be seen flying on the road throughout the day and even the trees along its sides are riddled with dust,” informed Naresh Kumar, a villager from Domehar village.

Lacking due repair, the concrete road surface has eroded at several places. Improper drainage has resulted in gaping potholes which are visible at regular intervals, especially on the Darlaghat-Bararighat section. Though certain areas of the road were widened in the last few years but three major bridges located on the Ghamber Khud continue to be single-lane due to paucity of funds. “Repair is undertaken in a phased manner as per the availability of funds and a six-km stretch would be repaired this year,” said Ravi Kapoor, Executive Engineer, PWD.

With limitation of funds to maintain the entire road, truckers feel some key sections should be repaired to ease congestion. “In order to reduce the influx of traffic of heavy trucks, the state government should ensure proper repair and maintenance of the highway from Darlaghat to Subathu as this will ease the pressure of trucks on the Darlaghat-Bararighat-Manali highway, which already faces overwhelming traffic,” said Rattan Mishra, president Solan District Truck Operators Union.

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