The Dharampur-Kasauli road was damaged after heavy rain in August. Tribune photo
Solan,October 31
The Public Works Department (PWD) has suffered losses worth Rs 85 lakh as the soil underneath Dharampur-Kasauli road has been crumbling due to digging of hill for the four-laning work of the Parwanoo-Dharampur section of National Highway (NH) No. 5.
It is a peculiar case where four-laning of a highway has damaged another road. Repairing this 50 m stretch of the road has become an arduous task for the PWD after it caved in August.
Initially, an estimate of Rs 60 lakh was prepared after the road was damaged on August 11. However, subsequent crumbling of the strata enhanced the estimate to Rs 85 lakh.
The work entails axing of trees after the requisite approval under the Forest Rights Act (FRA). Getting the approval is a time-consuming and tedious procedure. The restoration work has also been delayed owing to the model code of conduct.
Assistant Engineer of PWD, Kasauli division, Vishal Bhardwaj said, “Efforts were afoot to get the approval under FRA. We are coordinating with the Forest Department to speed up the task.”
He said since a sizable portion of the road had been damaged, retaining walls measuring 30 m in length and about 15 m in height would have to be raised to buttress the eroding structure. After securing the FRA permission and the restoration work will be completed in two to three months.
A special budget will also have to be sought to repair the road, which leads to the key tourist destination of Kasauli. The PWD staff has dug up a portion of the affected road towards the hill side to ensure smooth flow of traffic.
The crumbling debris that have fallen on the NH-5, which is downhill this road, has shut one side of the four-lane road for the traffic. The road may face more damage if not repaired before the onset of the next monsoon.
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