Parwanoo-Dharampur road to open for light vehicles from today

Ambika Sharma

Solan, August 7

Five days after it was closed for vehicular traffic following continuous flow of debris from the hill at Chakki Mor, the Parwanoo-Dharampur section of National Highway (NH)-5 is likely to be opened for light vehicles tomorrow.

32 vulnerable spots on 39-km stretch

• The NHAI has identified 32 vulnerable spots on the 39-km stretch of Parwanoo-Solan where debris was flowing down the hill after every rainy shower.
• However, the slope protection work has been delayed.
• These sites were identified after the monsoons last year. A sum of Rs 200 crore has been set aside for this work for which tenders have been called.

Balwinder Singh, project in-charge, GRI Infraprojects, which was undertaking the repair and maintenance of the road, said, “The Parwanoo-Dharampur stretch of the NH would be opened for light vehicles tomorrow. A temporary five metre wide road has been created by cutting the hill at Chakki Mor. Safety boards of 4 to 5 m height have been erected along the hill for barricading the debris to ensure safety of the passing vehicles. Five to seven such boards have been installed at the vulnerable site where the debris was continually flowing down from the hill.”

In addition to this, crate wire structures have been erected on the valley side below the road to give stability to the road. Repair to restore the road on a permanent basis would begin soon and opinion of a high level committee comprising experts from IIT Roorkee, IIT Mandi, former member project of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) as well as a slope stabilisation expert is awaited to begin the restoration work. The committee will visit the state from August 12 to August 15 to examine damage to highways, including the Chakki Mor site.

Though the authorities were endeavouring to open the road today, a fresh landslide in the morning upset the plan. Officials hoped that the temporary road would provide passage till the permanent one was laid.

Since there was continuous erosion of the fragile hill at Chakki Mor, the need to undertake geological exploration of the soil strata was being felt urgently.

Though the NHAI has identified 32 vulnerable spots on the 39-km stretch of Parwanoo-Solan where debris was flowing down the hill after every rainy shower, slope protection work has been delayed. These sites were identified after the monsoons last year. A sum of Rs 200 crore has been set aside for this work for which tenders have been called.