Himachal Pradesh: Dharampur-Sanawar main road damaged while laying 12-inch pipes for a Rs 103 crore drinking water scheme in Kasauli area. This unique scheme launched to augment water supply in Kasauli area has turned dangerous for commuters as the road dug up for laying pipes has not been repaired. Driving has become particularly risky for two-wheeler riders, especially while traversing the rough terrain. In 2013, Rs 1.37 crore was spent on this 7-km-long Sanawar-Dharampur stretch, where work of upliftment and re-laying of culverts was done. Though repair of three or four most affected stretches was proposed in September, the work could not be taken up. Poor patchwork was done to fill some potholes from Sukki Jori side.
The stretch of a few kilometres from Moti Kona to Sanawar Gate was the worst affected, where construction of some realty projects has caused further damage. The culvert has been damaged during the digging. Heavy construction material being carried in trucks has damaged the sides of the culvert. When asked, Executive Engineer of Public Works Department, Kasauli, Gurminder Rana said that the Jal Shakti Department (JSD) has deposited Rs 1.08 crore for the damage caused to the road during pipe laying. An additional amount of over Rs 1 crore has been sought for the remaining work as more pipes were to be laid in the remaining 1,500 metre area from Kimmughat towards Kasauli.
He said that the Jal Shakti Department has been asked to carry out manual digging on a patch of 1,500 metres as the road is narrow at the said location. Excavation by machine, as was being suggested, may cause more damage to the road. The road was already facing severe water seepage problem at places like Bankhor where a culvert was damaged and pipes laid shoddily on the road surface have reduced the scope for widening the road in future. The two departments are at loggerheads but residents are facing problems as tenders will be issued only after all the pipelines have been laid and the inspection of the water supply scheme is complete. Residents will have to wait till the weather is conducive to lay bitumen.
