Landslides render journey risky on Manali highway

pender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, August 20

The journey on the Chandigarh-Manali highway has become risky, as frequent landslides have been witnessed between Mandi and Kullu due to heavy rains. The landslides have become a threat to travellers.

The work to widen the Chandigarh-Manali highway to four lanes is going on between Mandi and Kullu. Due to deep cutting of the hillside, the area has become prone to landslides during the rainy season.

Last week, two persons were killed on the spot and three others critically injured when big boulders rolled down the hillside and hit their vehicle at the Hanogi Mata temple while they were travelling on the highway between Mandi and Kullu. Another landslide occurred near Mandi town yesterday, which blocked the highway for more than 45 minutes.

The district administrations of Mandi and Kullu districts have urged people to travel carefully on thehighway, especially at night during the rainy season.

The hoteliers of Kullu and Manali are also concerned about the delay in the completion of the road project, which would boost tourist influx.

They rue that the delay in completion of this ambitious project has adversely impacted the tourism industry of Kullu and Manali. They say that poor road connectivity makes the journey tedious and risky.

Anup Thakur, president of Hoteliers Association Kullu-Manali, said that the delay in the completion of the Chandigarh-Manali highway fourlaning work was a cause for concern. “The state government should make efforts to complete the ambitious project in time,” he added.

“It has been observed in the past that frequent landslides on the Chandigarh-Manali highway create fear among tourists. Hence, they avoid visiting Kullu and Manali during the rainy season. So, there is need to speed up the work on the road project and complete it in time,” he said.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)has deployed workforce and machinery at key locations on the highway to restore it for traffic immediately after a landslide.