Shimla: Incessant rainfall leading to landslides has affected the annual Raid-de-Himalaya motor rally in Himachal Pradesh starting Oct 10, as some routes may have to be abandoned due to the closure of roads.
‘The rains have left a trail of destruction on the planned rally tracks, especially in Solan and Shimla districts,’ Manjeev Bhalla, vice-president of the organising club, Himalayan Motorsport Association, told IANS Wednesday.
‘In the first stage of the X-treme category, a stretch of the road from Pinjore (in Haryana) to Nalagarh (in Himachal Pradesh) has been abandoned as it could not be restored.’
He said now the rally would not turn to Nalagarh from Pinjore but proceed to Naina Tikker via Mallah and reach Chail via Gaura. The fifth competitive stage on the first day has also been altered and the rally would not venture into Chopal and instead return to Shimla via Fagu.
Besides, a few high mountain passes like Tanglang La and Lachung La would be avoided due to bad road conditions, he added.
He said almost all the competitive stages on day one and two were blocked by landslides, but efforts were on to get them cleared as soon as possible.
‘There might be some last-minute changes in routes too but six legs and at least 15 competitive stages would be there to test the nerves of motorists,’ he said.
Courtesy: IANS
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