Sainj Valley villages without road link since Independence

In a stark reminder of neglected development, not a single village under the Gadaparli Panchayat in the remote Sainj Valley under Banjar subdivision of Kullu district has been connected by road even after 78 years of Independence. Residents continue to battle harsh terrain and isolation, with their lives dangling by a thread on steep, rocky trails.

Advertisement

According to locals, when someone falls ill in these villages, anxiety grips the entire community. With no road access, patients must be carried on horseback, shoulders or makeshift chairs over treacherous 14-km trails to reach the nearest motorable road. The journey often takes five to six hours, and in critical cases, the delay can prove fatal.

This harsh reality played out again recently in Shakti village, where 70-year-old Lal Singh had to be transported on a horse to Niharni due to a sudden illness. From there, he was taken to the community health centre in Sainj. The entire journey from Shakti to Niharni took nearly six hours over uneven and unsafe paths.

Residents Nirat Ram and Heera Chand voiced their frustration at being forced to carry patients and supplies through unsafe mountain trails. They said even these footpaths were in poor condition, making travel risky and exhausting. The villagers feel abandoned by both the government and administration as basic infrastructure such as roads remains a distant dream.

“Every day is a test of our endurance,” said Heera Chand. “We are not asking for luxuries, just a road to connect us with the rest of the world.”

Former panchayat pradhan Bhagat Chand stressed the urgent need for road connectivity. He said during his tenure as a pradhan, several times memorandum was given to the state government in this regard, but still, there was no progress to construct the road.

Banjar MLA Surender Shourie said the road construction is part of the MLA Priority Scheme. The proposal was sent for FCA clearance as the panchayat area fell under Great Himalayan National Park Kullu, which was a UNESCO world heritage site. Due to the delay in FCA clearance from the Wildlife Department, the construction of the proposed road project from Niharni ahead towards Denga Bridge to Mail and Machhan villages, which was at a distance of around 10 km, could not be started yet. As soon as the FCA clearance report of the road project comes up, the construction of the road project would begin soon to benefit the locals.