KUMARHATTI: The condition of Dharampur-Subathu road has gone from bad to worse. There was a great resentment among residents over dilly-dally approach of PWD to take care of the road. The absence of drainage along road and big potholes that dotted the road has altogether turned the road into a nightmare for motorists.
Built in 1814, the 15-km-long road is the oldest link connecting Shimla with the rest of the world. It carries traffic of the 14 Gorkha Training Centre at Subathu besides vehicles of Gujarat Ambuja Cement plant at Darlaghat. In 19th century the road was used by the British to reach the summer capital before the Kalka-Shimla road was built in 1856. The road was an alternative to reach Shimla in case Kalka- Shimla national blocked.
After 1998 no serious repair has carried out on the road. Even though traffic on the road has increased manifold, its width has remained the same as in 1814. Owing to the lack of proper maintenance, drivers’ face a tough time covering the distance as the road is potholed and has many blind curves. During heavy rain, water collects at various points due to the lack of a proper drainage system.
Moreover recent half way measures of PWD to repair and widen the road has only added to residents’ woes thanks to the abandoning of work in mid way by PWD. In fact the 3-kilomter stretch of road from Dharampur market to Dagroh bridge has turned from bad to worse. In order to widen the road the PWD has filled the portion of road with loose earth till road berms.
In case of rain or bursting of IPH water pipes that passed along road the road was filled with mud. The dumped loose earth was only added to the woes of residents. In this situation that was a common feature nowadays one has to face great hardship to cross the road. The worst affected stretch of the road is around 1-km from Dharampur where unplanned construction along the road has led to congestion. The lack of drainage along road and seepage of water pipes have altogether made road a nightmare for residents.
The limited width of road have further reduced more following the dumping of materials by PWD along the road that supposed to be used in repair and widen work of road.
