Mahinder Patyal
Bharmour
The deteriorating condition of the Chamba–Bharmour National Highway (NH-154A) has once again raised serious concerns. On Friday night, a massive landslide near Batti Ki Hatti completely blocked the route, bringing traffic to a standstill and leaving commuters stranded. Entire sections of the hillside collapsed onto the road, causing severe disruption.
Despite crores of rupees being spent over the years, the highway remains in a deplorable state. Locals lament that successive governments have failed to bring about any lasting improvement. “Hundreds of crores have been spent, but the road is still unsafe and unreliable,” residents said.
On Saturday morning, buses leaving Bharmour at 5 a.m. were trapped mid-route, forcing passengers to endure hours of hardship. Emergency services, including ambulances, were also affected, making it nearly impossible to transport critical patients to Chamba. With frequent landslides and collapsing slopes, the highway poses a constant threat, especially during monsoon and adverse weather.
By Saturday evening, the road had yet to be restored. Departmental machinery continued efforts to clear debris, but fresh landslides kept hampering progress. Some desperate travelers even risked crossing the Ravi River to reach their destinations, while others attempted to walk across blocked sections of the road.
The timing is particularly worrying as the doors of Kartik Swami Temple in Kugti are set to open on April 14, which will increase pilgrim movement along this route. Locals have urged the government and administration to take permanent, concrete measures to ensure safe and reliable connectivity, stressing that temporary fixes are no longer enough.
