Traffic to several parts of the state has been disrupted by the heavy rain that has impacted many tourist destinations. File images/Facebook
However, minutes after its opening, a sizable chunk of debris flowed down on the five-metre newly built temporary road in Shimla, obstructing traffic for another 25 minutes
The critical portion of the national highway that connects Shimla to the rest of the country was opened for traffic on Tuesday even as the Himachal Pradesh government was pulling in resources to restore vehicular movement to several parts of the state that have been battered by heavy rains in the recent days. Almost a week after it was closed for traffic following a continuous flow of debris from the hill at Chakki Mor, the Parwanoo-Dharampur section of national highway (NH)-5 opened for light vehicles on Tuesday. Apprehension, however, remained as minutes after its opening, a sizable chunk of debris flowed down on the five-metre newly built temporary road. This obstructed the traffic for another 25 minutes before machines and labour were deployed to clear the way.
Machines, including recovery vans and earth excavation paraphernalia, along with workers, have been kept ready to meet any eventuality. Besides, a patrolling vehicle has been deployed to keep a watch on the vulnerable Dharampur-Parwanoo section of NH-5.
While a new design for the restoration of the road has been worked out by experts, a final nod from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is awaited. The expert opinion of the high-level committee that is slated to visit the site soon would also be taken into account before finalising the new design to restore the damaged road stretches on the Dharampur-Parwanoo section.
The vehicular traffic, including pick-ups, was being permitted to pass in small batches at Chakki Mor. A posse of about 40 police personnel has been deputed to ensure smooth movement of traffic. The motorists were, however, reluctant to take the route in the dark for fear of landslides. Heavy vehicles have been directed to follow the alternative routes—the Shimla-Kunihar-Nalagarh-Pinjore route and the Kumarhatti-Nahan-Chandigarh route.
Traffic to several parts of the state has been disrupted by the heavy rain that has impacted many tourist destinations. The footfall of visitors has registered a dip due to battering of the infrastructure because of the rain and the state government has sought funds from the Centre to take up the restoration work.
