Landslide blocks NH-5, traffic disrupted on Parwanoo-Dharampur section

Vehicular traffic was disrupted on the Parwanoo-Dharampur section of National Highway (NH)-5 after mounds of boulders and debris flowed down from the hill near Sanwara this afternoon. Since the highway faces immense traffic influx as it leads to Shimla, vehicles queued up on both sides within no time.

Though labour and machinery were pressed into service to clear the debris, it took more than two hours to open two lanes for traffic. Lanes facing the hill, however, remained blocked as boulders and muck continued to flow down onto the highway.

With relentless rain hitting the area, seepage of water in the hilly slopes led to frequent landslides. This site has been eroding intermittently over the last three days. SSP Solan, Gaurav Singh, confirmed that the highway was opened for traffic around 2 pm.