Landslides Shut Chandigarh-Manali Highway

Shimla, July 9 (IANS) Traffic on the Chandigarh-Manali national highway between Mandi and Kullu has been blocked following massive landslides along the swollen Beas river in Himachal Pradesh owing to overnight heavy rainfall, police said on Sunday.

The national highway was badly damaged in the landslide that occurred near Pandoh in Mandi district. Hundreds of vehicles remained stranded on both sides of the affected area.

The police have stopped vehicular traffic beyond Mandi toward Kullu and from Kullu towards Mandi.

Official sources said the supply of milk, bread, newspaper and other household items was impacted with the closure of the highway, the lifeline of Kullu-Manali segment.

The alternate road link between Mandi and Kullu via Kataula has also been hampered by the massive landslide near Kamad since Saturday night, official sources said.

The district administrations of Mandi and Kullu districts have advised visitors to suspend their journey on the Mandi-Kullu route until the restoration of highway. It is expected that the highway will be restored by Sunday evening.

There were reports of link road closure in interiors of Shimla, Sirmaur, Mandi, Kangra and Kullu districts, hampering movement of traffic.

More than 150 roads have been affected across the state due to the rainfall, said officials.

Even the traffic on the Chandigarh-Shimla national highway was partially hampered due to landslips near Solan town.

Under the influence of active western disturbance intense spells of precipitation likely with possibility of isolated spells of extremely heavy rainfall in Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Una, Hamirpur and Bilaspur districts till Monday, an official of the meteorological office told IANS.

A government spokesperson told IANS the Satluj, Beas and Yamuna rivers and their tributaries were in spate in Kinnaur, Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Bilaspur and Sirmaur districts. These rivers enter Punjab and Haryana.

--IANS

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