CHANDIGARH: Cracks have resurfaced on the Kiratpur-Manali national highway near the Pandoh Kainchi Mod in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh which has led to the sinking of the road, forcing people to take one-way traffic since yesterday.
These cracks are a result of damage due to the monsoon last year despite the fact that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has carried out the repairs. This road is the vital route that connects Kullu-Manali, Lahaul and Spiti to the plains. In addition to this, some 115 roads across the state have also been closed due to the heavy rainfall that lashed several parts of the hill state.
According to locals, even after spending lakhs on a retaining wall, parts of the Kiratpur-Manali highway still sank due to heavy rainfall and has gone down by about two feet. Questions are being raised on the quality of the construction of the wall.
During the monsoon season, the road is prone to landslides, especially between Mandi and Manali. Last year, a major repair work was done after severe damage on the same stretch. New retaining walls to fortify the highway against recurring threats were constructed by the NHAI.
An official of NHAI said that while cracks have emerged due to water percolation leading to settlement, there is no immediate danger to the highway as the restoration work is going on at both critical points to bolster the infrastructure and prevent escalation.
Measures are being taken to secure the highway against potential landslides and structural compromise, he said.
Meanwhile, the hoteliers in Manali have expressed apprehension regarding the current condition of the highway as they fear that further damage could significantly impact tourism.
However, project manager Raj Shekar said that the tarring work is going on at the spot "at war footing".
As per the data with the state emergency operation centre, as many as 115 roads including 107 in Mandi, four in Chamba, three in Solan and one in Kangra district are closed for vehicular traffic following rains and 212 transformers are disrupted in the state.
Several trees were uprooted in Shimla which has received 84 mm rain since Wednesday evening and debris from drains was littered on the roads. The Shimla meteorological office today issued an orange alert, warning of heavy to very heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places till Friday.
The Meteorological Department, which also issued yellow warning of heavy rains on Saturday and Sunday (July 6 and 7), cautioned of damage to plantation, horticulture and standing crops, partial damage to vulnerable structures, minor damage to kutcha houses and huts due to strong winds and rain, disruption in traffic and water logging in low-lying areas.
Widespread rain occurred in the state. Sundernagar was the wettest with 111 mm of rain followed by Palampur (109.4 mm), Shimla (84 mm), Gohar (80 mm), Solan (79.8 mm), Mashobra (78.5 mm), Jogindernagar (75 mm), Baijnath (70 mm), Mandi (55.2 mm), Narkanda (48 mm) and Kangra (44.2 mm).