Used to transport apple produce, Kumarhatti road to be widened

Solan, May 14

The Chaila-Sultanpur-Kumarhatti road will be developed to promote horticulture in Sirmaur and Shimla districts.

It is a key link road to the apple belt of Shimla district and is used by growers to transport their produce to various markets in North India, including Solan, Parwanoo and Delhi. However, the road is in a deplorable condition for want of repairs. This often causes problems in transportation and, some times, results in accidents.

Besides the Kalka-Shimla highway, a large number of apple growers use this road to transport their produce. The road was declared a national highway years ago, but sufficient funds were not provided for its maintenance or widening. However, the state Public Works Department (PWD) is now keen on improving its condition. The road also leads to a private medical college and several professional colleges in Solan.

“A detailed project report for the widening of the road linking Chaila, Yaswant Nagar, Oachghat, Sultanpur and Kumarhatti, which fall in Solan, Shimla and Sirmaur districts, is being prepared. The work was entrusted to an agency last month and it would be accomplished over the next few months,” says SP Jagota, Chief Engineer, Public Works Department (PWD).

He says more than Rs 100 crore is likely to be spent on the repair of the 75-km road stretch. Funds will be sought under the Central Roads Fund, which provides non-lapsable grants for the development and improvement of state roads, he adds.

This fund is maintained out of the cess or tax imposed by the Union Government on the consumption of petrol and diesel. Himachal has few resources to maintain roads and hence the grant of central funds is a dire necessity.