Potholes on Manali-Leh highway render driving risky
Tribune News Service
Mandi, June 21
The Manali-Leh highway is full of potholes at a few stretches, rendering the travelling an arduous and risky job.
A few rivulets dot the wayside while traveling on the highway from Darcha ahead up to Leh, where road condition is adverse for safe movement of vehicles at some points. Last week a truck overturned on the road between Sarchu and Pang. The accidents happening on the stretches are being attributed to the poor condition of the road.
Complaining about the poor condition of the road, truck drivers moving on the stretch have demanded that urgent maintenance work was needed between Sarchu and Pang. Apart from this area, a few road stretches between Baralacha and Sarchu are in a pitiable condition, which need repair work.
Mukesh Thakur, a native of Mandi, visited Leh from Lahaul and found travelling on the Manali-Leh highway cumbersome at a few locations from Darcha ahead up to Leh. He said that there was an urgent need for maintenance work of this road for safe travelling of tourists as well as local commuters. The BRO should identify such key points on this highway and do needful.
“From Zingzingbar ahead up to Bralacha La, there are stretches where road is in bad condition and travelling is tough. The BRO has engaged its workforce and machinery at these locations to make the road smooth for traveling. The situation of Manali-highway is adverse between Balacha to Killing Sarai, which needs to be addressed,” Pintu, an adventure lover from Manali said.
When asked, BRO officials said that workforce and machinery had been engaged on the Manali-Leh highway at different stretches for the upkeep of the road. At key locations, where situation of road is adverse, the BRO was trying to find out a permanent solution.
The Manali-Leh highway is strategically important, which provides access to Indian troops to Leh from the Himachal side. Apart from this, a large number of tourists and adventure lovers travel on this highway every year during summer season to visit Leh from the Manali side.
