Munish Sood
MANDI:
The tragic de*ath of Amlu Sharma, a resident of Nirohuli village under Thatibir post office of Banjar in Kullu district, has once again exposed the cost of Himachal Pradesh’s collapsing road infrastructure. Her son, Naresh Pandit, said his mother could have been saved had roads been restored in time.
Amlu Sharma was first admitted to the Primary Health Centre at Banjar, but doctors referred her to Kullu Hospital. On the way, Naresh remained stuck in heavy traffic at Aut for more than two hours.
Watching his mother’s condition worsen, he contacted local MLA Surinder Shourie, who in turn coordinated with the Banjar SDM. Authorities arranged for Naresh to be guided and escorted towards the Mandi Zonal Hospital. Tragically, Amlu Sharma died en route and was declared brought dead by doctors.
Later that night, while returning home with her body, Naresh was again stranded — this time at Pandoh, where a massive slide had completely washed away the road. He remained stuck there with his family and the body until morning.
“Had the road been restored on time, my mother would have survived. Even bringing her body home became a struggle,” Naresh said, accusing the administration of negligence.
Mandi DC says admn provided all help
Responding to the allegations, Mandi Deputy Commissioner Apoorv Devgan termed the incident “highly unfortunate”. “This is an extremely unfortunate incident, but Naresh Pandit was provided all possible help at that time. He was determined to go towards Kullu Hospital, but by then a massive landslide had struck at Banala. It was impossible to restore the road under such conditions — it remains closed even after 20 hours.
“The Aut SHO and Balichowki SDM were present on site at those early hours, ensuring people’s safety. They guided him to Mandi Zonal Hospital with an escort vehicle and a policeman. Unfortunately, his mother succumbed on the way. Later, when he was returning, another huge slide near Pandoh completely swept away the road. These are natural calamities beyond anyone’s control. The administration did its best and extended full support. We are working day and night for the people, but his emotional outburst over road conditions is also understandable,” he said.
While officials underline the scale of natural calamities, the recurring collapse of roads during every monsoon season raises tough questions about preparedness and infrastructure resilience.
For families like Naresh’s, medical emergencies are turning into tragedies of delay, diversions and despair. What should have been a night of urgent care ended as a night of helplessness, grief and blocked roads.
