After being shut for five days due to a constant influx of hill debris at Chakki Mor on the Chandigarh-Shimla highway near Parwanoo-Dharampur segment of National Highway (NH)-5, the lightweight vehicles traffic has again resumed.

Traffic on the bustling Chandigarh-Shimla national highway was brought to a standstill when a section of the road crumbled in a landslide near Parwanoo on a late Tuesday night. Despite efforts by the authorities to use manpower and equipment to resume traffic, the road experienced subsequent collapses after being reopened twice for lighter vehicles.

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The landslide occurred on Tuesday night, leading to a halt in vehicle movement. Traffic was being rerouted through alternate paths towards Chandigarh and Shimla. The repair work for the affected area, which sees heavy daily traffic, it was expected to take 2-3 days for a full restoration of normal flow.

Heading the project for GRI Infraprojects, Balwinder Singh overseeing the road’s repair and maintenance said, “The Parwanoo-Dharampur stretch of the NH would be opened for light vehicles tomorrow. A temporary five-metre wide road has been created by cutting the hill at Chakki Mor. Safety boards of 4 to 5 m height have been erected along the hill for barricading the debris to ensure safety of the passing vehicles. Five to seven such boards have been installed at the vulnerable site where the debris was continually flowing down from the hill.”

Within the 39-kilometer Parwanoo-Solan stretch, the NHAI has pinpointed 32 areas susceptible to instability, where hill debris cascades down after each rainfall.

Furthermore, wire structures in the form of crates have been set up along the valley side beneath the road to enhance its stability. Plans for a comprehensive and lasting repair are in the pipeline, awaiting input from a distinguished panel of experts.

 This committee, composed of individuals from esteemed institutions such as IIT Roorkee and IIT Mandi, alongside a former NHAI project member and a slope stabilization specialist, is scheduled to conduct an on-site assessment from August 12 to August 15. Their task involves evaluating the highway damage, including the situation at Chakki Mor.

Despite the authorities’ efforts to unlock the road today, a new landslide early in the morning disrupted their intentions. Officials held onto the aspiration that the interim route would offer a pathway until the construction of the permanent road was completed.