12 roads yet to be restored in Solan district

Ambika Sharma

Solan, September 3

The road connectivity in Solan district is yet to attain normalcy as 12 roads, including the key Dharampur-Subathu road that connects the 14 Gorkha Training Centre, are yet to be restored.

A 200-m stretch of the Dharampur-Subathu road was washed away recently. Commuters are using the Subathu-Solan-Dharampur route to travel to Subathu. This has increased their travel time by around an hour. The Military Engineering Services will begin its restoration once the weather becomes dry.

Maximum five roads are blocked in the Kasauli subdivision, followed by three each in Arki and Nalagarh and one in Kandaghat. While the crucial Parwanoo-Shimla national highway (NH-5) is open for vehicular traffic, the appearance of big cracks at several places, including Sanwara and Kather bypass, has led to the closure of the lane facing the valley.

NHAI officials were reportedly waiting for an expert committee to examine the damaged stretches. “Stable structures will be constructed for restoring all critical stretches on the Parwanoo-Solan national highway based on the opinion of an expert committee. The committee will visit the highway soon,” said NHAI Project Director Anand Dhaiya.

All roads in the industrial belt of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) are yet to be fully restored with the key Pinjore-Baddi-Nalagarh NH being open only for light vehicles after the Balad bridge was damaged at Baddi. Heavy vehicles are using the Kalka-Kalujhinda-Barotiwala-Baddi arterial route.

A causeway was, however, being constructed by the NHAI parallel to the damaged Balad bridge at Baddi.