Landslides damage Dharamsala-McLeodganj road

Raghav Guleria

Dharamsala, August 9

The main Dharamsala-McLeodganj road has been extensively damaged this monsoon due to subsidence and landslides. At some points, the road’s width has reduced to half while frequent landslides have incited fear among local residents and commuters.

The 150-metre stretch ahead of the Kali Mata temple on the outskirts of Kotwali Bazaar has completely sunk on the lower side. Due to a landslide, a substantial part of the road has been damaged. This particular spot falls in the way of district officers, who commute to their official residences through this road.

Landslides have been occurring frequently on this 10-km road for several years but no effective steps have been taken to find a durable solution. Sanjiv Gandhi, general secretary, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Smart City, Dharamsala, says, “Land is sinking at many places due to which cracks are appearing on the road. Keeping in view the importance of this road, efforts are being made to find a lasting solution.”

The PWD and the NHAI officials, under whom different parts of this tactical road fall, say that the road will be repaired soon after assessing damage and making an estimate of the budget.

Cracks have appeared once again on the Khada Danda road, the short cut from Kotwali Bazaar to McLeodganj. This road is also sinking ahead of ‘Kirpu More’.

Geological Survey of India experts feel that it is unscientific construction not keeping with the natural water drainage that has resulted in the weakening of the soil strata of fragile hills along these roads.

Dr SS Guleria, a specialist in river basin studies and climate change due to global warming, says, “The strata of the slopes is weak and can lead to slope instability due to the weak structure of rocks comprising weathered sandstone, clay stone, mud stone and boulder conglomerates.”