Himachal: CM Sukhu hints at setting high power committee to monitor new road projects

SHIMLA: Faced with massive landslides and devastations, particularly roads and highways, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh proposed setting up a high power committee to monitor new road projects in the hills on Friday.

“A proper drainage and cross-drainage system would be made mandatory along all the roads in the state for which a committee and monitoring teams will soon be constituted,” Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said while presiding over a high-level meeting in Shimla.

The chief minister said that the main cause of water seepage and cracks appearing in the roads causing huge damage to them lacks proper drainage and cross drainage systems. “Henceforth, the new road constructions which sans proper drainage systems will not be approved or passed”, he said, adding that this could only be ensured by quality work at the time of construction.

The chief minister took a detailed report of the damages caused due to heavy rains and gave necessary directions to the officers.

The chief minister asked the Public Works Department to deploy adequate machinery and other equipment to restore the roads damaged by landslides and emphasised additional men and machinery to open the significantly blocked roads in district Mandi.

He said scientific management would be ensured to prevent soil erosion and landslides on the river banks in Kullu district. The National Highways Authority of India and the Public Works Department have been asked to take long-term measures in this regard.

To cope with the calamities the state witnessed recently, the state government has decided to provide two cranes each to all the companies of State Disaster Management Authorities (SDRF) in the state to mitigate disasters and to be used in rescue operations, said Sukhu.

Drones would also be made available to all DDMA for mapping and monitoring besides providing goods and medicines to the people at the time of the disaster, he added.

Sukhu admitted that major damage to the national highways was caused by the wrong desiging and blockade of natural drainage systems. Nobody took care of this important aspect and now some of the NH patches have gone downhill. This has not only put the state road communication in serious condition but also a huge loss to the public exchequer.