Kullu-Manali highway a victim of infra mismanagement

The 38-km stretch of the Kullu-Manali National Highway-3, once envisioned as the gateway to prosperity and tourism in Himachal, has instead become a tale of infrastructure mismanagement. Completed in 2019, the Jia-Manali section of the highway was widened by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Dohlunala toll plaza was set up soon after to collect charges. However, the plaza has been non-operational since July 2023 after flashfloods in the Beas severely damaged the highway and exposed its vulnerabilities.

Since 2023, the highway has suffered repeated damage due to landslides, flashfloods and soil erosion. This year, the Beas has been in spate due to torrential rain and has washed away critical sections of the highway near Bindu Dhank, Raison and Bashing. Viral videos and eyewitness accounts captured the river swallowing roads, restaurants and vehicles and severing access to Manali for days and a result thousands of people getting stranded. Similar incidents in 2023 and 2024 had raised the alarm, as the strategic Manali-Leh road route was also disrupted.

Despite damage-control efforts, many stretches of the highway have not been fully repaired yet. Toll collection has been indefinitely suspended and commuters are facing frequent detours and delays. “We’re paying the price for rushed development,” says Ramesh Thakur, a local hotelier. “Before the highway was widened, we never saw this level of destruction every monsoon.”

Residents and experts blame recurring failure on unscientific hill excavation and substandard construction practices. The rapid widening of the road, often without proper slope stabilisation or drainage planning, has destabilised the fragile Himalayan terrain. Cracks have appeared in homes and agricultural land in nearby villages, with some areas experiencing subsidence.

The original plan called for a four-lane highway, but only two lanes were constructed. Locals allege that vested interests and political interference led to a compromised design. “The land was acquired for four lanes, but only two were built. The rest was siphoned off,” claims Mohit Sharma, a resident of Raison. “Before this highway, we had fewer landslides and no tolls. Now, we have both,” he adds.

Many residents recall that prior to the upgrade of the National Highway-03, the older road though narrower was more stable and less prone to seasonal destruction. “It wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t collapse every year,” says Sunita Devi, a farmer of Raison. “Now, we live in fear every time it rains,” she adds.

Frustrated locals are demanding urgent reforms, including river channeling, slope reinforcement and realignment of vulnerable sections. There is growing support for handing over maintenance work to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), known for its expertise in managing high-altitude roads. Arvind Mehta, a strategic analyst, says, “Given the highway’s importance in connecting Kiratpur to the Manali-Leh route, its upkeep is not just a local issue, it’s a matter of national security.”

Until meaningful reforms are enacted, the Kullu-Manali highway remains a perilous corridor, emblematic of the risks of unchecked development in ecologically-sensitive zones. The road that was meant to bring progress now demands accountability.