In the absence of timely repair and maintenance, roads leading to Kasauli have worn out, compounding the plight of motorists.
Deep pits have been dug along roads for laying thick pipes for an upcoming potable water scheme of the Jal Shakti Department (JSD) in the past one year.
Though the JSD has deposited over Rs 1.34 crore for road repair, the Public Works Department (PWD) has failed to utilise funds for repairing damage.
Instead of ensuring timely repair, only limited repair work was initiated in October last year which did not last and the condition of the roads worsened after the recent spell of rainfall.
The innovative PWD staff instead of ensuring permanent repairs tried to fill potholes with mud, which was a wastage of time as rain washed away the mud filled in the potholes on the roads.
The narrow single-lane roads are full of potholes, leading to long serpentine traffic jams, especially at weekends when the number of vehicles rise exponentially.
“Deplorable and dangerous condition of the roads leading to Kasauli from the Kalka-Shimla highway has made driving risky for two-wheeler riders. This vital road stretch, which should ideally promote tourism and ease of travel, has instead become a nightmare for commuters,” rues local resident Ajay.”
“The Dharampur-Sanawar road, which was shoddily repaired in June last year, is now riddled with more than a feet-long potholes, increasing the chances of accidents.
What was meant to be an improvement has turned into a glaring example of poor workmanship and the lack of accountability.
The wear and tear the vehicles undergo due to bad roads entails a heavy financial burden on common people, besides increasing travel time,” laments Ravinder, another resident.
Equally distressing is the condition of the Dharampur-Garkhal road via Sanawar Gaon. This road stretch, lined with hotels, reflects a blatant violation of norms by hoteliers.
Encroachments, callous dumping of construction material along the road and trucks parked haphazardly to offload construction material often block a sizable part of the road for kilometres around Sanawar Gaon.
The PWD field staff have failed to ensure that the acquired width of the road is not encroached upon. Not only have several hoteliers erected their signage on the road but some of them have also erected boundary walls over the parapets.
A majority of them either lack parking lots or have inadequate parking spaces and often utilise the road to park tourist vehicles.
The traffic influx at weekends often creates chaos. Traffic remains halted for 20 to 30 minutes every now and then when tourist vehicles line up on the road before they can negotiate the steep entrance to resorts.
The repair work on these roads is supposed to resume from April 15 once the weather becomes warm.
