Dharampur-Kasauli road closed for 2 hours after heavy downpour

The lack of a culvert and other appropriate structures to channelise water from the hill above led to the closure of the Dharampur-Kasauli road near Sanawar village last evening for about two hours as slush inundated the stretch after a heavy downpour.

Traffic was diverted through the arterial Sanawar-Dharampur stretch, creating a traffic congestion around 6 pm yesterday.

Traffic policemen had a tough time in guiding the traffic via the narrow road for two hours.

Since the affected road led to Kasauli, where large number of people commute for work from nearby areas, they were stuck in the jam for over an hour.

The road also connects the Kalka-Shimla National Highway to Kasauli and is used by a large number of commuters, besides tourists. Locals said every time it rained the road was in a mess at the same spot as water flowing from the hill above brought debris along with it.

They demanded that appropriate measures should be taken to channelise water so that the road was not damaged every monsoon.

The commuters riding two-wheelers were particularly inconvenienced as the nearly 50-m stretch was reduced to a puddle of slush with large quantity of muddy water along with boulders flowing down from the hill. The road surface was also damaged due to continuous battering.

Same story every year

Locals say every time it rains the road is in a mess at the same spot as water coming from the hill above brings debris along with it. They demand appropriate measures to channelise rainwater so that the road is not damaged every monsoon season.