Highways, rural routes await urgent repair

Most highways, including national highways and rural roads, across Kangra district are in a state of neglect, crying for the attention of the authorities. Although the monsoon season has long ended, the Public Works Department (PWD) is yet to begin repair and maintenance work on roads riddled with potholes.

The situation is particularly dire in the Palampur, Baijnath and Jaisinghpur divisions, where most roads are in urgent need of repair. A visit by The Tribune team to several rural stretches in the upper and lower areas of Palampur and Baijnath revealed an alarming state of disrepair.

Major highways such as Pathankot-Mandi and Kangra-Shimla are also in poor condition, despite the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) being aware of the problem. No concrete steps have been taken to restore these crucial routes.

Sources told The Tribune that despite repeated appeals from MLAs and ministers, the state government has not released funds for road maintenance in many constituencies. Several Congress legislators, speaking anonymously, admitted that their development projects are stalled due to inadequate budget allocations.

Adding to the crisis, the surge in heavy and light vehicle traffic has intensified the need to widen key state highways. However, no expansion projects are currently underway. Roads such as the Palampur-Dharamsala, Palampur-Hamirpur and Baijnath-Ladh Bharol-Sarkaghat routes remain congested and deteriorating.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had repeatedly assured the public that improving state and national highways would be a top priority. Yet, in the past three years, the condition of roads has only worsened, causing inconvenience not only to locals but also to tourists visiting the state.