Landslide disrupts traffic on Shimla-Bilaspur road for 7 hrs

Vehicular traffic was disrupted for several hours on the Bilaspur-Shimla National Highway after a massive landslide occurred near Kararaghat on Monday morning. A 30-metre stretch got covered with debris after a huge portion of the hill caved in blocking the entire road.

The staff of the National Highways pressed labour and three earth excavation machines to the spot to clear the debris and boulders which had flowed down on the road from the hill. Several trees were also uprooted and they also fell on the road thus making the task of clearing the road arduous. It took several hours to clear the huge chunk of debris as well as big trees which had fallen across the road.

The road provides connectivity of the Arki area to Shimla and is also used by vehicles going to Mandi, Bilaspur and other destinations. It is also used by heavy vehicles like trucks which carry cement to Shimla and other destinations.

The vehicles had to take the arterial route via Ganaghughat-Piplughat to reach their destinations which inconvenienced the commuters. Vehicular movement on the road was restored almost after

seven hours at around 6 pm in the evening.

Project Director, National Highways Authority of India(NHAI), Anand Dahiya, said that the landslide occurred after the rains when the soil dried up and loose strata gave way. No such incident has been reported in the past over this two-laned road in the past.

Restoration work was starteds from both ends of the 30 m affected stretch . While one lane was opened for traffic by noon the other was restored by evening.

Dahiya further said that no construction had been undertaken over the affected stretch of national highway near Kararaghat though it is part of the Shimla Mataur National Highway 205 four-laning project.

“New alignment would be carved out from Ghora Chowki to Shalaghat section of NH 205 for four –laning this highway and the existing two lane road will remain untouched. The NHAI is ,however, carrying out maintenance of this road as it is part of the four-laning project.