Demand to restore Aut-Luhri highway

Dipender Manta

Mandi, February 12

Residents of Ani and Nirmand area have demanded that the National Highways Authority of India should restore Aut-Luhri national highway-305 via Jalori Pass for traffic movement so that they are able to visit district headquarters Kullu from Ani and Nirmand side for official works.

The Aut-Luhri highway was blocked for traffic movement between Ani and Kullu in the first week of January due to heavy snowfall at Jalori Pass and its nearby places. As a result, the residents of Ani and Nirmand blocks have remained cut off from district headquarters Kullu for a month.

“The highway has remained blocked but the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) could not restore it for traffic movement. As a result, the people of Ani and the Nirmand area were suffering. They were waiting desperately for the restoration of this highway,” Chanderkesh Sharma, a resident of Ani, said.

“From Ani side, the NH authorities have restored this highway up to Jalori Pass, while from the Banjar side it could not be restored up to Jalori Pass,” he added.

“Due to blockade of this highway we have to travel via Karsog or Shimla to reach Kullu, which makes the journey tedious and expensive,” Lal Singh, another resident said.

When contacted, XEN NH at Rampur K L Suman said, “The NH authorities has restored Aut-Luhri highway up to Jalori pass from Ani side, while efforts were on to restore it earlier from Banjar side up to Jalori pass to restore road connectivity between Ani and Kullu on this highway.”

The 10,282 feet high Jalori Pass receives heavy snow during winters every year, which blocks the highway between Ani and Kullu for days together.