Munish Sood
MANDI: The Chandigarh-Manali National Highway was blocked once again early Saturday morning following a massive landslide near Kainchi Mod, just beyond the Pandoh Dam on the Mandi-Kullu route. The incident occurred around 4 am, leading to a complete halt in traffic for nearly five hours. The highway was finally reopened after extensive clearance efforts.
The same stretch was restored just a day earlier after a nine-hour operation. However, fresh rockslide and debris early Saturday caused renewed disruption, highlighting the ongoing vulnerability of the route during monsoon conditions.
Among the stranded vehicles was a hearse transporting a body from Kullu to Nurpur. The driver, Roop Lal, stated he had been waiting at the site since 4 am. According to him, machinery from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) arrived only around 9 am, after which the road was cleared and traffic movement resumed.
Meanwhile, Shivabdar village remains entirely disconnected. The alternate route connecting the village had already been damaged, and with the latest landslide, access has been completely severed for the second day in a row.
Local residents and stranded commuters expressed frustration over the delayed response. They alleged that no NHAI official reached the spot for several hours and that only police personnel were present at the scene. Many criticized the lack of timely deployment of earth-moving equipment, which prolonged the inconvenience.
While a few small vehicles are being diverted through alternative routes like Katola-Bajoura, these roads are also deemed risky due to the ongoing threat of further landslides.
Residents and travelers have appealed to the administration to accelerate relief and clearance operations, ensuring that critical services such as the hearse are not further delayed. They also demanded that a reliable alternate route to Shivabdar village be restored at the earliest to prevent a prolonged isolation of the community.
