Palampur-Hamirpur highway widening stuck for two years

The proposed widening of the 70-km Palampur-Hamirpur highway remains stalled for over two years despite the Public Works Department (PWD) submitting a detailed project report (DPR) to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. No funds have been sanctioned so far.

The DPR, prepared in two phases by PWD’s Palampur and Hamirpur circles, seeks Rs 185 crore under the Centre’s CRF road scheme to upgrade the busy stretch to two lanes, including bypasses at Bhawarna and Thural. Officials say the Ministry has neither raised objections nor approved the project.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said he is personally pursuing the matter and has written to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. He expressed willingness for the project to be executed either by the National Highways Authority of India or the state, provided funds are released.

The highway, a key link between Palampur, Hamirpur, Chandigarh, Shimla and Delhi, has seen traffic multiply manifold over the past three decades, but its width remains unchanged.