The Chandigarh-Manali national highway remains blocked for the fourth consecutive day, leading to the isolation of Kullu, Manali, Lahaul, and Spiti from the rest of the state. To alleviate the situation temporarily, two alternative roads between Mandi and Kullu were briefly opened for light vehicle movement via Kainchi Mod near the Pandoh dam. Over 1,500 stranded vehicles on the Kullu side were able to move toward Mandi via these routes, which were later closed again in the evening. Despite these efforts, numerous vehicles remain stuck on the Mandi side.
Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Sunder Singh Thakur, accompanied by officials from various departments, inspected the damaged road site at Kainchi Mod. Thakur urged the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to expedite the road restoration work between Mandi and Kullu. His intervention led to the temporary opening of the alternative routes. These roads had suffered significant damage due to heavy rainfall, posing challenges for the Public Works Department (PWD) and NHAI in restoring all three alternative routes between Mandi and Kullu.
Thakur emphasized the ongoing efforts to enhance road connectivity between Mandi and Kullu. This initiative aims to facilitate farmers in transporting their produce to markets without further delay.
