Ugly Patchwork and Backbreaking Rides a real test of survival for lakhs of commuters on NH-5..
SHIMLA/NARKANDA: Even as Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari reviewed the condition of 1,947 km of National Highways in Himachal Pradesh in New Delhi, the reality on National Highway-5 tells a different story.
The highway from Shimla to Kinnaur remains battered, neglected and dangerous.
From Theog, Narkanda and Rampur to Pooh and Kaurik near the Indo-Tibet border, NH-5 is full of potholes, broken edges, sinking stretches and heaps of debris. Blind curves and rough patches have made driving risky for tourists and locals alike.
This is not just another hill road. NH-5 is a strategic highway leading towards the sensitive Kaurik and Shipki La Pass on the Tibet border. Army convoys frequently use this route. The highway also supports the entire apple economy of upper Shimla and Kinnaur.
But commuters say authorities have abandoned it.
Tourists visiting Himachal during the summer rush say the journey has become miserable.
“We came to enjoy the mountains. Instead, the road gave us body pain and endless traffic jams. At many places, the potholes look like craters,” said a tourist from Delhi stranded between Charabara and Hassan valley and Dhali.
Another tourist said, “This is not a National Highway. It is a rough ride zone. Patchwork disappears after every rain.”
Apple growers from the Shimla and Kinnaur apple belt are equally angry. Orchardists from Kotgarh and Baghi say the highway has become a major burden during the peak fruit season.
“This road is the lifeline of the apple belt. Yet it has been thrown into the dustbin of neglect. Trucks carrying apples crawl for hours on damaged stretches,” said an orchardist from Kotgarh.
An apple grower from Baghi said contractors were making money while commuters suffered.
“Every year they do ugly patchwork. Every year the road collapses again. People are getting back-breaking rides while officials keep holding review meetings,” he alleged.
A fruit grower from Kinnaur said the poor condition of NH-5 was hurting both tourism and the horticulture economy.
“Thousands of tourists and apple trucks use this road daily. But the highway looks abandoned. The government talks of development, but on the ground this strategic road is falling apart,” he said.
Locals say traffic pressure has sharply increased due to the tourist season. Long vehicle queues are now common on damaged stretches.
Despite its strategic importance, NH-5 continues to suffer from poor maintenance and temporary repairs.
People in the hills are now asking one question — will Nitin Gadkari finally deliver a durable overhaul of NH-5, or will one of India’s most important border highways continue to crumble under official neglect?
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#HimachalPradesh
#Kinnaur
#AppleBelt
