Shimla panchayats chip in with money, labour to restore roads

Subhash Rajta

Shimla, September 6

Some of the panchayats in the apple-growing upper Shimla areas have chipped in with money and labour to restore the roads that were badly damaged due to heavy rainfall in July.

The Nandpur and Anti (Chajpur) panchayats in the Jubbal-Kotkhai block collected around Rs 14-15 lakh and Rs 8-10 lakh, respectively, for the repair of damaged roads before the start of apple season.

“We formed a Sadak Sudhar Committee immediately after the road in our area was damaged due to rain in the second week of July. By July 25, when apple harvesting begins in lower areas in our panchayat, the road was ready for heavy vehicles,” said Prem Chajta, chairman of the Sadak Sudhar Committee. “We also received support from government agencies as heavy earth moving machines remained continuously deployed to restore the road,” said Chajta.

Apart from the contributions made by villagers, they also received contributions from arhtiyas from as far as Gujarat and Mumbai. “An educational institution from Jaipur also contributed for this cause despite having nothing to do with apple,” he said.

The Anti panchayat also witnessed a massive damage to the road infrastructure due to heavy rain. “The Anti-Sabhard and the Anti-Kansog-Trailer roads were badly damaged. The harvesting season in the lower belt was round the corner and the growers had to bring the packaging material. So, we decided to chip in alongside the PWD workforce,” said Ravinder Singh, pradhan of the Anti panchayat.

“We collected around Rs 8-10 lakh for the restoration of the road. It required to be widened at several places, besides needing levelling at some other places,” he said. In 10-12 days, the road network was ready for the transportation of apple, he said.

Apple-growing areas

The Nandpur and Anti (Chajpur) panchayats in apple-growing upper Shimla area collected around Rs 14-15 lakh and Rs 8-10 lakh, respectively, for the repair of roads damaged due to heavy rains in July