PWD yet to remove monsoon debris from narrow Palampur-Hamirpur highway

The narrow Palampur-Hamirpur state highway, one of the busiest roads that links Palampur to Shimla, Chandigarh, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Shimla and Una, is crying for the attention of the authorities concerned. The road was badly damaged due to landslides during the monsoon this year and the Public Works Department (PWD) was yet to remove debris and muck from it, causing inconvenience to commuters.

The road is full of potholes at many points and several stretches between Thakurdwara and Alampur needs re-carpeting but the PWD has no funds. Traffic jams at Thakurdwara because of a narrow bridge on the railway line has become a daily routine. Though there has been a manifold increase in traffic, idle parking on both sides of the highway reduces its width, which, otherwise, has remained the same for the past 40 years. The state government has taken no steps to either widen the highway or get it declared a national highway from the Central Government.

With the opening of the Kiratpur-Mandi four-lane highway, the distance between Palampur and Chandigarh has reduced by 65 km if one follows the Palampur-Hamirpur, Ghumarwin-Kiratpur route to reach Chandigarh. Likewise, the travel time has also come down from six hours to four hours.

Gokul Butail, Information and Technology Adviser to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, told The Tribune that the Chief Minister had requested Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to declare this road as a national highway. The state PWD had also submitted a detailed project report (DPR) to the Union Road Transport Ministry in 2024, seeking Rs 87 crore for the widening of the highway but got no funds.

Butail said, “Keeping in view the high volume of traffic, several proposals had been submitted to the Central Government to either get it declared a national highway or hand it over to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for its widening to four lanes. However, no response has been received from the Union Government,” said Butail.

PWD sought Rs 87 cr for road widening

The Chief Minister has requested Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to declare this road as a national highway. The PWD had submitted a detailed project report to the Centre in 2024, seeking Rs 87 crore for the widening of the highway but got no funds.

Gokul Butail, Information and Technology Adviser to Chief Minister