DEHRADUN: In good news for residents of lake town, Nanital, a 25-metre stretch of Lower Mall Road, which caved in last year, would be rebuilt. The cost of relaying the damaged portion of the road has been estimated at Rs 41 crore.
A detailed project report has already been sent to the state officials by the Nainital district administration.
Sabon Bansal, the district magistrate of Nainital, said, “The proposal has been sent to higher levels of the state government for approval. Work will begin as soon as we get the nod.”
The stretch of the centuries-old road crumbled on August 25, 2018, triggering panic in the town. A few days later, another 8-feet long stretch of the road fell into the Naini lake.
While the stretch was repaired within a month, experts said the damaged needs to be laid afresh to avoid a similar incident in future. The road collapse even forced tourists, who had planned to visit the scenic town, go elsewhere.
The Mall Road was built during the British rule, between 1841 and 1885.
Charu Chandra Pant, professor, Centre of Advanced Studies in Geology, Kumaon University, said, “The proposal to rebuild the damaged portion is welcome, as it will help in bolstering the safety standard of the 165- metre stretch, which needs long-term safety guarantees.”
Elaborating on the matter, he added that the retaining wall around the lake, which protects the water body and lends support to the Lower Mall Road is more than 120 years old.
The road, popular with visitors, had caved in due to an overload of heavy vehicles. Residents had attributed the road collapse on the unchecked flow of traffic.