Traffic woes continue on NH-5 as rain, landslide get in the way

At the time of going to press, the NH-5 near Chakki Mor is closed for all kind of vehicles till morning on Monday.

Himachal rainfall, Himachal landslide, National Higway traffic jam, Chandigarh-Shimla National Highway, indian express news

Vehicles stuck in traffic jam on Chandigarh-Shimla National Highway near Chakki Mor. (Express File Photo)

Yet another day proved to be challenging for commuters at the Chandigarh-Shimla National Highway (NH-5) near Chakki Mor as fresh cracks forced Solan police to stop the movement of heavy traffic on the highway on Sunday. While the highway is opened for light vehicles, the heavy traffic is now being diverted through the alternative routes provided by the police.

At the time of going to press, the NH-5 near Chakki Mor is closed for all kind of vehicles till morning on Monday.

Hours long jams were witnessed at the highway near Chakki Mor due to the intermittent rains causing closing and opening of the NH-5 ever since a fresh landslide hit in the wee hours on Tuesday. The Solan Police department has also instructed the NHAI to put up proper sign boards and instructions at the accident- and landslide-prone areas on this 240-metre patch.

The traffic remained disrupted for the third consecutive day for several hours and the administration started issuing fresh advisories to avoid unnecessary travel.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Solan Manmohan Sharma said that initially the highway at Chakki Mor had started off well, but with the continuous rains, the problem has arisen again. “We will be visiting the site again and take a final call. No loaded trucks like apple trucks are being allowed on this route. The loaded trucks are being diverted through the alternate routes like Nahan etc only,” Sharma added.

SP Solan Gaurav Singh told The Indian Express that fresh cracks forced the authorities to close the highway for heavy traffic. “Though the highway seems safe for the light vehicles, we are keeping a constant watch on the situation and if the cracks worsen further due to incessant rains, we may have to close down the road for light and medium vehicles (LMV) also,” the SP added.

He further said that additional police force has been deployed in view of landslides and urged commuters to take alternate routes.

Long traffic jams

Meanwhile, fresh landslides and continuous shooting stones and debris from the hill at the site, hours long jams were witnessed again. “It’s been more than seven hours ever since we are waiting for our turn to cross this patch of the highway. The jams are long and the weather is bad. Travelling on this highway is no less than inviting trouble for you and your loved ones, as there are continuous landslides and falling debris from the hill. So I would recommend not to travel on this route till it is very urgent,” said a passerby Anil Sharma, who going towards Chandigarh said.

A local resident Meena Rani suggested the administration to issue advisories. “There is a need for the administration to issue advisories again that only the ones who have an urgency should travel to hills and not otherwise and it is not safe to travel to the hills right now. This will be good for the commuters safety and for the locals also who have to face heavy jams due to the slow movement of the traffic on this patch” Rani added.

‘Put up proper traffic signboards, or else face action’

The NHAI officials have been instructed by the Solan police to place proper signboards at all the accident- and landslide-prone areas near the Chakki Mor site, failing which the police department would register an FIR against NHAI.