Rs 172.97 cr sought for restoration of Himachal roads damaged in flashfloods

Shimla, July 17

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today urged the Central Government to grant Rs 172.97 crore for the restoration of roads adjoining national highways in the state that were damaged due to flashfloods and landslides during the monsoon last year.

The Chief Minister was speaking at a meeting on national highway projects chaired by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi last evening. He said that the Kullu-Manali, Mandi-Kamand-Katola-Bajaura and Chail-Gohar-Pandoh roads were damaged in the rain disaster.

Gadkari assured the Chief Minister of appropriate action on each of the issues. He also directed contractors to complete these works in time. Sukhu said that the Union Minister had made an announcement during his visit to the state after the monsoon disaster last year that the Central Government would provide adequate funds for the repair and restoration of damaged state roads located within a distance of one km from the national highways.

Sukhu said that the damaged state roads played a significant role, as they ease traffic congestion on national highways. These had also proved to be vital during the monsoon season last year when many stretches of the Kullu-Manali highway were damaged.

Sukhu urged Gadkari to declare the Ranital-Kotla (39.20 km) and Ghumarwin-Jahu-Sarkaghat (41.50 km) roads as national highways. “These roads were constructed as per national highway standards and were declared as in-principle national highways. Roads are the major mode of transport in the hill state and no new national highway has been announced for Himachal in the past eight years,” he added.

The Chief Minister said that the Shimla-Mataur National Highway was an important route connecting eight districts to the state capital and adjoining states as well. “The development of a highway corridor in different configurations is not advisable from the road safety point of view and as such directions be issued to the authorities concerned for the uniform upgrade of the highways to four lane standards instead of two-lane standards,” he added.

Sukhu said that Gadkari declared 69 highways as in-principle national highways. “The alignment reports of 58 in-principle national highways were submitted to the Union Ministry in 2018-19 but the approval was still awaited and needs to be expedited,” he added.

PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sunder Singh Thakur attended the meeting.

Declare state roads as NH, Gadkari urged

• Sukhu urged Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for funds for the repair of the Kullu-Manali, Mandi-Kamand-Katola-Bajaura and Chail-Gohar-Pandoh roads that were damaged in the rain disaster last year
• Sukhu urged Gadkari to declare the Ranital-Kotla (39.20 km) and Ghumarwin-Jahu-Sarkaghat (41.50 km) roads as national highways