Residents want Kullu-Manali left bank road widened to two lanes

Our Correspondent

Kullu, November 9

Local residents are demanding that the 44-km Kullu-Naggar-Manali (left bank) road be widened to two lanes on priority, as the Kullu-Manali double-lane National Highway has become a virtual ”death trap” for commuters due to overspeeding vehicles.

According to them, earlier there was a plan to widen the highway to four lanes and the required land was also acquired. However, later due to topographical considerations, the highway was widened to two lanes only.

Commuters say though the road has become convenient, many fatal accidents take place on it because of overspeeding vehicles. They add that the traffic coming from Manali to Kullu can be diverted through the left bank road so that the traffic load on the right bank of the highway can be reduced. They say one-way traffic will help in reducing mishaps.

At present, the narrow left bank road has many bottlenecks and heavy vehicles avoid using it. The metalled surface of the road has also worn out at many stretches. During his visit to Kullu in June, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had announced the widening of the road to two lanes on the request of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and Education Minister Govind Singh Thakur. The Kullu Public Works Department (PWD) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had also begun the paperwork and conducted a joint survey last month to assess its feasibility.

The local residents say once the road is widened, one-way traffic can be diverted through the left bank road facilitating the movement of vehicles. The road connects many villages and its widening will benefit a large number of farmers and local residents. The road will also become an alternative route in case the Kullu-Manali National Highway is blocked.

Manali resident Shyam Sunder Sharma says that the Kullu-Manali NH should have been widened to four lanes as was proposed earlier to cater to the expected rising in traffic. He adds that only the 40-kmg Kullu-Manali highway will hafe two lanes on the entire Kiratpur-Manali-Leh route, which is strategically important. Many spots on the road have become virtual death traps for commuters.

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Caption: Vehicles after a collision on the Kullu-Manali National Highway on Saturday. Photo: Abhinav Vashisht