Upgraded in 2023 at Rs 42 crorr, road from Dharamsala to Mcleodganj starts caving in

Tribune News Service

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, February 17

The Dharamsala to Mcleodganj road, which was reconstructed last year, has started caving in at many places. Deep potholes on the road have rendered it unfit for driving.

An investment of Rs 42 crore on upgrade and metalling of the Gaggal to Mcleodganj road by the National Highways Department seems to have gone waste. Residents of the area allege that the condition of the road depicted sorry state of affairs. They said despite huge investment, the condition of the road was still poor.

Akshay Sharma, a resident said, the traffic movement towards Mcleodganj remained disrupted for months as the road was being laid and bridges were being constructed on it. All were hoping that after facing frequent traffic jams on the vital road heading to the tourist destination, the problem would be solved. However, the road had started caving in and its surface had worned off at many places.

Surinder Thakur, a resident of Dharamsala, said, “The government says Kangra will be made the tourist capital of the state. However, the present condition of both roads leading to Mcleodganj, the epicentre of tourism in Kangra district and home of the Tibetan spiritual head the Dalai Lama, is poor.”

He said, “The national highway leading from Dharamsala to Mcleodganj has sunk at many places. The Khara Danda road damaged by landslides last monsoons is yet to be repaired. Cars slip on the road as it has developed cracks.”

When contacted, Hari Ram, Executive Engineer, National Highways Department, Hamirpur, said, “The department has withheld Rs 17 crore payment of the contractor, who constructed the Gaggal-Mcleodganj road, due to the poor quality of work. We have also submitted a project to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for stemming the sinking problem of Dharamsala-Mcleodganj national highway.”

A source in the Public Works Department (PWD) said a tender for strengthening and metalling of the Khara Danda road leading from Dharamsala to Mcleodganj had been floated. The source said it would be allotted to a contractor soon.

Locals and hoteliers have been raising their voice over the poor condition of roads leading to Mcleodganj. They allege that due to broken roads, there were frequent traffic jams during the peak tourist season in the area.

They said traffic snarls kept tourists away from the area which adversely affected the livelihood of people associated with tourism industry in the region.

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