A newly laid stretch of the Kullu-Manali four-lane highway near the toll plaza at Raison washed away in a recent spell of rainfall, raising questions about the quality of construction.
The road stretch, which was re-carpeted three months ago, has reduced to rubble. If this newly built road could not withstand a rainfall spell, local residents fear what will happen when the monsoon arrives with full force.
This is not an isolated incident. According to reports, a 38-km stretch of the National Highway-3, which was constructed in 2019, has become an example of infrastructure mismanagement.
Large sections of this highway had caved in and lost alignment in the flashfloods of 2023. Devastation repeated in 2025 when flashfloods swept away critical stretches of the highway near Dohlunala, Raison, Bindu Dhank and the Aloo Ground, severing access to Manali for days together.
The local residents have consistently alleged substandard construction of the highway. “We’re paying the price of rushed development,” says Roshan Thakur, a Manali hotelier. Mohit Sharma, a resident of Raison, points towards a broken promise: “Land was acquired for the construction of a four-lane highway but only two lanes were built.”
Manali hotelier Sanjay alleges that contractors have installed only mud walls and temporary crates instead of permanent protections on the Beas banks along the highway.
The residents also question the durability of construction materials. Another local resident Manoj says that even temporary barricades collapsed before the latest floods, fuelling fears that unscientific methods have rendered the road fragile.
Project Director, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Varun Chari says that the damaged road was a filled section on gabion/crate walls that had been temporarily restored after the floods last year.
“A new nullah developed on the hillside has damaged this temporarily-restored highway section. However, two-lane traffic is running smoothly here,” he claims, adding that the restoration work is underway.
Chari assures people that long-term protection works, including RCC retaining walls, will commence soon as tenders worth over Rs 300 crore are being evaluated.
Until permanent solutions are found and implemented, the highway that was meant to bring prosperity remains a perilous corridor, emblematic of the risks of unchecked development in ecologically-sensitive zones.