Munish Sood
MANDI/MANALI: In the wake of repeated natural disasters battering Himachal Pradesh, Manali MLA Bhuvneshwar Gaur has raised a strong voice demanding urgent action on the Manali-Kullu Left Bank road.
Calling it a “lifeline repeatedly ignored by the Centre”, Gaur has written to Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, seeking immediate allocation of funds, widening of the road into a double lane and annual maintenance support.
Road that saves lives, yet left unattended
Stretching 40 km from Manali to Kullu, the Left Bank road has been the only operational link during flashfloods and landslides, when the main four-lane highway collapses. Gaur recalled that in 1988, 1992, 1995, 2023 and 2025, this road became the sole lifeline to Leh and the only channel for moving relief, ration and agricultural produce.
“For the last 16 days, thousands of vehicles carrying food, vegetables and apples have been forced onto this narrow stretch. Supplies to Leh and Lahaul are possible only through this road. Yet, the Centre has not allocated a single rupee for its expansion or upkeep. This neglect has caused immense frustration among the residents of Left Bank villages,” Gaur said.
He praised the patience of locals who, despite sleepless nights and heavy congestion are cooperating with authorities to keep traffic flowing. “Police and villagers are working day and night to prevent chaos, but the road cannot carry this burden for long,” he added.
Since the onset of monsoon, Himachal has witnessed dozens of flashfloods, cloudbursts and landslides, leaving behind a trail of devastation. Losses have crossed Rs 4,000 crore, with hundreds of roads and bridges damaged. Over 800 roads remain blocked in disaster-hit areas, paralysing connectivity, tourism and local trade.
While the state government has managed to restore most water supply schemes and rural roads, large arterial roads like the Left Bank remain under strain. Although packages worth thousands of crores have been announced in the past for disaster recovery, there has been no dedicated allocation for the Left Bank road despite its strategic and economic significance.
Why the Left Bank road matters
- Disaster resilience: It is the only dependable alternate route whenever floods or landslides cripple National Highway-3.
- Strategic importance: The road links Manali to Leh, making it vital not only for civilians but also for national security and supplies to border regions.
- Economic role: It carries perishable crops like apples and vegetables from Kullu and Lahaul to markets across India, sustaining farmers and traders.
- Tourism lifeline: As one of India’s prime tourist regions, uninterrupted road connectivity is crucial for livelihoods tied to hotels, transport and allied services.
Call for urgent national action
Bhuvneshwar Gaur reminded that even during the 1995 floods, then Chief Minister late Virbhadra Singh and local MLA Raj Krishan Gaur had emphasised the significance of this road. “Despite repeated pleas by the state government, the Centre has done nothing to strengthen or widen it,” he said, terming the neglect as “systematic indifference” to Himachal’s infrastructure needs.
The MLA has appealed to the Centre to provide annual dedicated funds for the road’s maintenance, approve a double-lane project for the entire 40-km stretch from Manali to Kullu; undertake urgent strengthening of bridges, drainage, and landslide-prone sections, recognise the Left Bank route as critical disaster and strategic infrastructure under national planning.
“I have requested Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to take up this matter with utmost seriousness and urged Chief Minister Sukhu to strongly push this demand at the highest level. Himachal cannot be asked to suffer silently every time disaster strikes,” Gaur said.
The crumbling Left Bank road symbolises the wider crisis facing Himachal Pradesh — a disaster-prone Himalayan state where infrastructure collapses repeatedly under nature’s fury. Experts warn that without sustained central investment in roads like this, the cycle of destruction, isolation and economic loss will only deepen.
