Work goes on war footing to restore road to Kinnaur
Shimla, September 9
The work to restore the National Highway-5 at Nigulsari village in Kinnaur district is going on a war footing. A 380-metre stretch of the highway was swept away by a major landslide yesterday.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is undertaking the work at both ends of the road to restore it at the earliest as connectivity to Kinnaur district has been snapped. Ganga Devi (65), a resident of Nichar village, who had suffered spinal injuries due to a fall, was airlifted in a Mi 17 helicopter of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) and Hospital here this morning.
The work to restore the road was hampered for some time today due to the incidents of shooting stones at the landslide site. Police and Home Guards personnel are regulating traffic at both ends of the highway and only passenger buses are being allowed to go close to the landslide site.
Commuters are not alone facing inconvenience due to the closure of the road but farmers also are unable to transport their apple and peas produce to markets. “The work is being undertaken on a war footing through the day so that road connectivity can be restored. Farmers are worried about transporting their produce to markets,” said Revenue and Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi, who visited the landslide site last evening.
The road stretch near Nigulsari has been witnessing landslides. Two years ago, 28 people were killed when a massive landslide hit a bus and some vehicles near Nigulsari.
