Shimla - The Public Works Department (PWD) Minister, Vikramaditya Singh, has raised concerns over the rising water levels in Beas River, urging the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to consider raising the height of the National Highway in the affected area.

What has worried  the Manali residents is that the surging Beas river not only swept away the riverside road near Manali.  

But the river knocked out the walls of the highway and made its inroads into the Bazar of the lower Manali and Aloo Ground and green tax barrier.

The Manali town  and its surroundings  villages are without any communication to the outside world for the last three days as all link roads and water and electricity remained cut off from the Kullu district headquaters.

In response, the NHAI has assured a collaborative effort with IIT Roorkee to conduct a detailed study, focusing on both the repair of Chakki bridge and the restoration of the Kullu-Manali section.

During a review meeting with NHAI officers, Vikramaditya Singh highlighted the extensive damage caused to roads, including the National Highways, due to incessant rainfall in the state.

The government is committed to reopening closed roads and clearing the National Highways promptly. Singh has reached out to Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, requesting time-bound restoration of the affected National Highways.

Currently, approximately 1318 roads remain blocked by landslides in the state, prompting the PWD Department to deploy a fleet of machinery, including 600 JCBs, 20 dozers, 169 tippers, and tractors, to expedite road restoration. The department aims to reopen around 1050 roads by July 12, 2023.

Of significant concern is the Kiratpur-Manali four-lane, where the NHAI has identified substantial damage between Raison and Manali. The government is prioritizing the swift reopening of this route for all types of vehicles, mobilizing resources on a war footing.

Addressing other critical road infrastructure, Minister Vikramaditya Singh instructed the immediate repair of the Maddanwala bridge on the Pinjore-Baddi-Nalagarh highway and the Chakki bridge on the Pathankot-Mandi National Highway. The NHAI has pledged necessary funds for repairing and strengthening the Bailey bridge near Ghandal on the Shimla-Mataur road.

In light of the situation, the Minister has appealed to the Central Government for liberal financial assistance to support the repair of national highways and related infrastructure.

NHAI Secretary, Manoj Kumar has been urged  to assess the damages and evaluate the restoration efforts firsthand.

He has assured that traffic between Kullu and Manali on the Kiratpur-Manali four-lane road will be restored within the next 48 hours, with the deployment of additional personnel and machinery. The NHAI is leaving no stone unturned to expedite the reopening of all affected national highways.

The review meeting witnessed the presence of Engineer-in-Chief of the Public Works Department, Ajay Gupta, Regional Officer of NHAI Abdul Basit, and other senior officials.