Landslip near tunnel hits traffic movement

A landslide at the entrance of one tube of the twin-tube tunnel at Trilokpur near Kotla on the under-construction Pathankot-Mandi four-lane highway disrupted traffic movement on Friday. Vehicles going from the Kangra side toward Pathankot had to be diverted through Kotla town.

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Though the construction company engaged by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) deployed its machinery to clear the blockade, the debris continued to fall, blocking the entrance of the tunnel.

The vehicles coming from the Pathankot side are passing through 450-m long tunnel, which was opened for traffic at the beginning of the month. It is alleged that against 45 degrees permissible roadside hill cutting, the construction company had razed the hill near the twin-tube tunnel at 90 degrees posing a threat of landslides in the ongoing monsoon season.

Rohul Kumar, Deputy General Manager, NHAI, was not available for a comment despite repeated attempts to contact him.

The NHAI has constructed the twin-tube tunnel between Kotla and Trilokpur at a cost of Rs 290 crore. The two tubes measure 720-m and 450-m.

The opening of the tunnels has benefitted tourists and locals as earlier Kotla town faced heavy traffic congestion. However, the threat of landslides blocking the entrance of the tunnel in the rainy season looms large.