Cratered Thakurdwara-Daroh stretch puts lives at risk

Travelling on the Thakurdwara-Daroh stretch of the Palampur-Hamirpur highway has become nothing short of a nightmare. A massive one-foot-deep pothole has turned the road into a death trap, causing accidents almost daily and endangering the lives of hundreds of commuters. This route, used extensively by tourists and locals travelling to Shimla, Chandigarh, Delhi, and parts of Punjab and Haryana, remains in a deplorable state.

According to information gathered by The Tribune, the stretch has not been repaired or metalled in the past five years. The lack of maintenance in the last two years has worsened its condition, making it accident-prone and hazardous. Despite the severity of the problem, no action has been taken by the Public Works Department (PWD). Locals continue to suffer as vehicles struggle to navigate the damaged road.

Daily commuters who use the route to reach Palampur and Dharamshala claim that both the Executive Engineer and Assistant Engineer of the PWD are fully aware of the situation, as they travel the road regularly. However, no steps have been taken to repair the pothole or the highway.

The Palampur–Hamirpur highway is among the busiest in the region and serves as the shortest route to Shimla and Chandigarh from Palampur, Baijnath, and Joginder Nagar. The recent opening of the Kiratpur-Manali four-lane highway has made this road even more critical, reducing travel time to Chandigarh by over an hour and the distance by 60 km. Yet, the road’s width has remained unchanged for more than 30 years, compounding the inconvenience.

The highway was briefly notified as a national highway in 2017, but the status was later revoked. A senior PWD official stated that a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to upgrade the stretch to a two-lane highway at an estimated cost of Rs 187 crore has been submitted to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. However, the DPR continues to await approval in New Delhi.

Himachal Tribune