Traffic remained disrupted for over 16 hours on Nahan – Chandigarh –Dehra Dun National highway. Nahan – Kala Amb hills cracked at more than 20 places.
NAHAN: In an incident of cloud burst in the Moginand and Sainwala area last night the Nahan – Kala Amb hills wrecked and land slides swallowed Chandigarh –Nahan –Dehra Doon National highway at more than 20 places between Kala Amb and Sainwala areas of Nahan tehsil. The traffic on this road could be restored completely after 16 hours.
Local residents told that continued rain for the past few hours suddenly turned heavy at about 9.00 last night. They came out of their houses when they heard unusual noise of heavy rains around 10.00 P.M.. ‘It looked that it was not raining but water was being thrown down from the sky, the force and quantum of down pours was terrible, had it continued for some more time the whole valley would have been washed away’, commented Ramesh Thakur an eyewitness of Moginand area. Senior citizens of the area said that in their life time they never witnessed or heard references of such horrible rain- disasters from their fore fathers.
A police party rushed from Kala Amb police post to supervise the rescue work and help opening of the road also confirmed that deep and wide trenches have developed at more than 20 places on the sloppy hills between Mogi Nand and Sainwala and heavy land slides triggered atleast in the five kilometer area. They said that there was no habitant in the area other wise loss would have been very heavy. However silt flown from the top of hills entered some houses near Moginand but there was no loss of life and property.
Four J.C.B. machines were pressed into work by PWD including a large number of other workers to open the road. The road blocked for traffic at about 10 PM and could be completely restored for all kind of traffic only this after noon. However due to heavy silt on the roads small vehicles and vehicles carrying heavy loads were stranded till this evening on the road. Due to breaking of bridge on Markanda River, last year the traffic coming from Chandigarh, Yamuna Nagar and Ambala side could not be diverted through Khjoorana Markanda bridge side road to Paonta, Nahan and Shimla, resultantly hundreds of vehicles remained stranded on the road for more than 16 hours.
Working as district correspondent with The Tribune & Danik Tribune in Sirmour.
