Work begins for widening Bijli Mahadev road

Abhinav Vashisht

KULLU, DECEMBER 29

The work for the widening of Ramshila-Bijli Mahadev road in Kullu has been awarded to a company after the approval by the National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA), Delhi. The company officials along with the officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) and Revenue Department carried out the demarcation of one-km stretch of the road on Tuesday.

The PWD has prepared a detailed project report (DPR) to widen the 20.660-km long Ramshila-Bijli Mahadev road at a cost of Rs 27 crore. There is a plan to widen the road from Ramshila to Trambali to 5.5 metres. It will further be widened to 3.75 metres till Gobha, last motorable point before Bijli Mahadev. The road will be upgraded under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)-III and 90 per cent budget will be provided by the Central government and the rest 10 per cent by the state government.

A Shiva temple is located atop the hill at Bijli Mahadev adjacent to Kullu town. The pristine beauty of the region attracts locals and tourists alike. Bijli Mahadev witnesses heavy influx of vehicles of devotees and tourists, especially from April to September.

Commuters get stuck in traffic jam for hours due to the narrow single-lane road. During the apple season in summers, trucks ply on the Kullu-Bijli Mahadev road often creating a situation of traffic jam due to the narrow road. The people have been demanding widening of the road for a long time as the traffic volume had increased manifold over the years.

Kullu PWD Assistant Engineer Vivek Gautam said that the work of widening Ramshila-Bijli Mahadev road had been awarded to Dinesh Kumar Sharma Construction Pvt Ltd (DKSCPL). He said that the company would start the expansion work within a week and demarcation was being carried out at present.

The upgrade of the road will also boost tourism in the area. A ropeway is also proposed for Bijli Mahadev.