Missing barriers: Potholes, black spots make Aut-Luhri NH mishap-prone

Dipender Manta

Mandi, September 27

The death of seven tourists on the Aut-Luhri highway in Kullu district on Sunday night has raised road safety issues. The poor condition of roads, lack of crash barriers alongside roads, overloading and rash driving is the major causes for the road accidents.

The Aut-Luhri highway is prone to accidents between Jalori Pass and Banjar because the road is steep and narrow. Drivers, who do not have hill experience, fail to negotiate sharp curves, leading the accidents.

Residents of Banjar have been raising the issue for a long time. The Tribune had also highlighted it. The condition of the highway is pathetic. It is full of potholes between Banjar and Ghiyagi. The highway is also narrow, which causes long traffic jams during the peak tourist season.

Surender Kumar of Banjar said, “It is unfortunate that such incidents are happening again and again, which have an adverse impact on the tourism industry. There is need to make efforts to reduce accidents.”

Hem Raj Sharma, another resident, said, “We have been urging the NHAI to widen this road. There is need to install crash barriers at accident-prone sites.

Data available with the police reveals that in 2017, an HRTC bus met with an accident at Khanag on the Aut-Luhri highway near Jalori in which three persons were killed. Another accident reported this year in May in which four persons had lost lives, while three tourists sustained severe injuries.

The district police have also identified black spots on this highway and urged the NHAI to do the needful.

SP Gurdev Chand Sharma said the police had identified black spots at the Bheout mod, Shoja and Jalora. At Bheout mod in 2019, a major accident was reported, in which 47 persons were killed. At Shoja, three accidents were reported in 2019 and two in 2021, which claimed four lives. At the Jalora mod, one accident was reported in 2019 and three in 2021, which claimed seven lives.

The SP said that the highway authorities were apprised of it. XEN KL Suman said the 80 per cent stretch between Banjar and Jalori Pass had been covered with crash barriers, while the installation of crash barriers on the remaining stretch is under way.

What police data says

• In 2019 at Bheout mod, 47 persons were killed in an accident
• 3 mishaps were reported at Shoja
• At the Jalora mod, one accident was reported in 2019 and three in 2021, which claimed seven lives