Rain triggers landslide in Salooni, road blocked for over 10 hours

Our Correspondent

Chamba, August 2
The Chamba-Salooni road was blocked for over 10 hours, cutting off the Salooni, Himagiri, Kihar regions from the district headquarters after heavy rain triggered a landslide at Kaila Mod in Salooni subdivision on Thursday.
As a result, long queues of vehicles were witnessed on both sides of the road. The landslide left several vehicles stranded here until Friday afternoon. Buses traveling from Himagiri, Diur and Bhandal Kihar to Chamba, as well as private vehicles heading from Chamba to Salooni, were all stuck.
Upon receiving the news of the road blockade in the morning, the Public Works Department (PWD) authorities promptly dispatched workers and machinery to the site for clearing the debris.
The heavy landslide on the Salooni-Sundla road also obstructed pedestrian movement. The area, surrounded by hills on both sides, left no alternative route for people to pass amidst the blocked road. Consequently, individuals travelling for emergency and other purposes had to wait until the path was cleared. The department’s machinery arrived in the morning and cleared the route for pedestrians. Meanwhile, several drivers and pedestrians chose to take alternative routes through Tikru, Huta and Lachori to reach their destinations.
A constant threat looms over the commuters and residents as the hill near the Sundla-Salooni road is prone to landslides and shooting rocks, especially during the rainy season.
Around 1.5 years ago, a landslide in this area caused a retaining wall to collapse, closing the road for nearly a month. Residents and commuters have urged the department to take appropriate measures to mitigate the landslide risk in the area.
Kumud Upadhyay, Executive Engineer of PWD, said the road was blocked near Kaila due to a landslide on Thursday. The department immediately deployed machinery and labour. The road was reopened to vehicular traffic by 1pm on Friday, he said.

Constant threat

• A constant threat looms over the commuters and residents as the hill near the Sundla-Salooni road is prone to landslides and rockslides, especially during the rainy season
• Around 1.5 years ago, a landslide in this area caused a retaining wall to collapse, closing the road for nearly a month
• Residents and commuters have urged the PWD to take appropriate measures to mitigate the landslide risk in the area