Landslide blocks Dharamsala-Kangra National Highway, traffic movement disrupted

Vehicular movement on the Dharamsala-Kangra National Highway came to a halt on Friday morning following a landslide triggered by intermittent rains that have been lashing the region since Thursday night. 

The incident has caused massive disruption to traffic on one of the most crucial road links in the district. Hundreds of tourists come to Dharamsala daily from Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and other states through this route.

The landslide occurred about 2.5 km from Sakoh village, leading to a complete blockage of the highway for four wheelers.

There has been no report of any casualty or injury. However, commuters travelling between Dharamsala and Kangra faced long delays amid rainfall, which was still continuing at the time of filing of this news report.

In the wake of the blockage, the traffic going from Dharamsala towards Kangra has been rerouted via Sheela road through Mataur town. 

The local authorities have issued an advisory urging people to avoid the affected stretch of the NH until the restoration work is completed.

Vivek Sandhu, Assistant Executive Engineer with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), stationed at Shahpur, said that immediate steps were being taken to clear the debris. 

“We have dispatched JCB machines to the site, and work is expected to begin shortly. If the weather permits and there are no further obstructions, we are hopeful of clearing the road and resuming traffic movement by this afternoon,” he said.

Meanwhile, the region continues to experience light to moderate rainfall, raising concerns about the possibility of further landslides in the hilly terrain, particularly on the McLeodganj road where the repair work was already going on at some points for the past few days. 

The Himachal Pradesh Meteorological Department has predicted continued rainfall in parts of Kangra district over the next 24 hours, and officials of the PWD were monitoring vulnerable zones closely.

The district administration has also assured that all necessary resources have been deployed to restore traffic on the Dharamsala-Kangra national highway at the earliest.

Landslide blocks Dharamsala-Kangra national highway, traffic hit, diversion in place through link road for vehicular movement