Nurpur-Chamba road turns nightmare for motorists

An inter-district Nurpur-Chamba road is under a constant threat of massive landslides. Heavy pre-monsoon showers have exposed the alleged negligence on part of the Public Works Department and local administration, who have turned a blind eye to massive hilltop cutting with machinery by a private land owner.

The traffic movement remained disrupted on Saturday morning as the road turned into a marshy and slippery passage. Motorists had a tough time to cross the flooded road at Letri, near Nurpur, where roadside hilltop had been levelled to make way for housing plots.

Most of the road stretch has been damaged as an existing nullah has been blocked by debris. Rohit Pathania, up-pradhan of Khazan gram panchayat, said the land owner had blocked the nullah by dumping debris. The nullah has changed its course and water has started flowing on the road. He claimed that residents of the panchayat and commuters, who use this link road, had been flagging their concern on social media for the last one year, but the authorities concerned are silent on unscientific hill cutting by private land owners.

Rakesh Kumar ‘Kukki’, member of Block Development Committee (BDC), Nurpur, said the Nurpur-Chamba link road was the lifeline for populace of a number of gram panchayats in Nurpur Assembly constituency. It connects with neighbouring Chamba district and the Dhar block of Punjab.

Expressing concern over the safety of commuters, Kukki said it was risky to cross the stretch during the night, especially for two-wheeler riders and pedestrians, as a landslide could occur anytime in the monsoon season.

Sikander Rana, up-pradhan of Pandrer gram panchayat and a regular user of the road, told The Tribune that offices of the Forest and Mining Departments were situated close to the spot where the hill cutting had been undertaken. “None of the departments have stepped in to check the alleged unscientific hill cutting. Now, the general public and commuters are facing the risk landslides on the busy inter-state road,” he added. He called for proactive measures to ensure public safety while commuting on the stretch. Vivek Sharma, Executive Engineer, PWD Division, Nurpur, could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.