Traffic restored on Shimla highway after 17 hours

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, September 29

Vehicular traffic was restored on the Kalka-Shimla national highway (NH)-05 after 17 hours at 2:00 pm today by the staff of private company AIREF Engineers, engaged in four-laning of the Solan-Kaithlighat section of the highway.

Huge mounds of debris, which had flown down from the 70-m portion of an excavated hill, led to gaping horizontal crevices on the surface of the road last evening. The highway was closed for traffic and vehicles were diverted to arterial roads by the Solan and Shimla police.

“Apart from removing the debris, technical interventions were carried out to fill the about 1.5-m deep crevices to restore the traffic,” said an official of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), who was monitoring the restoration.

About five to six trucks, loaders, graders and excavation machines were pressed into service to restore the highway as it is the main road leading to Shimla.

The Solan police diverted the traffic through various arterial roads, right from the state’s gateway at Parwanoo and Dharampur, Solan and Kandaghat. Additional force was deployed to man the traffic on the arterial roads, which are either single lane or double lane roads.

Solan SP Abhishek Yadav said vehicular traffic was diverted through Barotiwala- Patta- Kunihar-Saiyri- Jubbarhatti- Totu road, Dharampur- Subathu-Gamberpul- Jubbarhatti- Totu and Solan- Giripul-Sainj- Chailla. Light vehicles were directed to use Kandaghat- Sadhupul- Junga road to reach Shimla.