Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh government will seek experts’ opinion on the construction and restoration of roads to ensure stability of hills and conservation of environment, Public Works minister Vikramaditya Singh said on Thursday.
He said the government will construct retaining walls along the road where the debris from landslides has been cleared so that movement of heavy motor vehicles can resume.
“Work to open roads is going on at a war footing, but about 250 roads are still closed and some roads have been opened only for light vehicles. The construction of retaining walls is required to open the roads for heavy vehicles for transportation of apple and other agricultural produce to the market,” he told reporters.
He said that the engineers from all divisions have been directed to float tenders for the construction of retaining walls by September 15 and award the works. Where construction of retaining walls is not feasible, opinion of experts will be sought, he said.
The minister who visited areas in Mandi, Bilaspur, Sarkaghat and Balh ravaged uby rains and landslide said that funds have been provided for restoration of roads there and more will come.
The minister stressed on the construction of tunnels to save the hills. Singh said projects related to the construction of a tunnel from Barot in Mandi district to Lug valley in Kullu, and Jalori Jot tunnel linking Rampur in Shimla district with Kullu, have been revived.
The minister said that the Pandoh-Kainchi Mor section of Kiratpur-Manali fourlane project has become highly vulnerable to landslides and the stretch which has sunk completely would take two to three month to reopen.
He said the government will also allocate budget for the construction of cross drainages and culverts, and all the choked nallahs will be opened and encroachments removed.
Singh said that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had earlier taken up the matter with the Chairman of National Highways Authority of India, who assured him that the cutting of hills would not be at more than 70 degrees and measures will be taken to prevent landslide during construction of roads.