Lifeline of 20 villages, link road in Indora subdivision in a shambles

Rajiv Mahajan

Nurpur, July 15

The Milwan-Thakurdwara-Barota link road that is a lifeline of 20 villages in the Mand area in the Indora subdivision of Kangra district is riddled with potholes and needs immediate repair.

With the condition of the road deteriorating in the monsoon season, resentment is brewing among the residents, who alleged that the road had been neglected by the successive governments.

The 13-km road passes through nearly 20 villages, including Gadotha, Uleharian, Basantpur, Teyora, Gangwal, Bakradwan and Tanda Mor. The road also connects to a large number of villages in Mukerian tehsil of the neighbouring state of Punjab. It is the two-wheeler riders who are mostly at the receiving end as they trip over potholes while crossing this stretch at night. Heavy transport vehicles that carry sand and gravel from stone crushers set up in the area have further deteriorated its condition.

Members of the Yuva Shakti Manch of the Mand area lamented that the road had not been repaired by the Public Works Department (PWD) despite several pleas by the residents.

They said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had laid the foundation stone of the reconstruction of the road before the Lok Sabha election, but the work was yet to begin. It is learnt that Rs 22 crore had been sanctioned for the road. The road was built on the initiative of late Des Raj, the then local MLA, 25 years ago, but after that it had been repaired only in patches.

Jagtar Singh, Executive Engineer, PWD Division, Indora, said the department had allocated funds for the upgradation of this road under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Phase -3. “The tendering process is under way. The work will be started immediately after the tendering process is over. It will take 18 months for the work to complete,” he added.