Kiratpur-Manali project deadline pushed by two years

Heavy monsoon rains and resultant landslides had severely damaged 20km stretch of the four-lane project

The deadline for completion of the Kiratpur-Manali four-lane project has been extended by two years due to the severe damage to the stretch during the recent monsoon rains, official said.

The highway between Mandi and Manali has suffered severe damage following Beas floods on July 9 and 10 and then more floods on August 14 and 15. (HT File Photo)

It was originally slated for completion by June 2024. Heavy monsoon rains and resultant landslides affected 20km stretch from Kiratpur to Manali. While 11 km have been restored, 9 km are still in need of repairs.

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) will partner with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, to redesign and reconstruct the heavily damaged Kiratpur Manali four-lane project. The decision comes in the wake of severe damage caused by heavy rains, floods, and cloudbursts on the four-lane stretch between Mandi and Manali, which has rendered the decided location unsuitable for reconstruction.

On August 7, NHAI had opened the Kiratpur-Nerchowk section of highway for vehicular traffic. The highway has been built on hybrid annuity (HAM) and engineering, procurement and construction (EPCD) models, instead of the built-operate-transport (BOT).

A 40% share of costs under the HAM and 100% under EPCD was borne by the NHAI.

NHAI project director Varun Chari said that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) is set to be signed with IIT, facilitating a collaborative effort to redesign the project for enhanced safety and durability. Once the MoU is finalised, work on the new design will commence, and subsequently, a new detailed project report (DPR) will be prepared and submitted for approval.

The highway between Mandi and Manali has suffered severe damage following Beas floods on July 9 and 10 and then more floods on August 14 and 15. Traffic between the stretch has been plying on the temporary roads.

Manali residents have, therefore, initiated collective efforts to restore the stretch at their own level. For the past six days, Manali residents, hoteliers, taxi operators and other have been doing community labour to erect a crate wall along the Beas bank at Klath so that two-way traffic could be restored on the highway at the earliest.

During a recent site visit, a four-member NHAI team provided preliminary suggestions, which will be integrated into the project as part of the collaboration with IIT.

Removal of police roadblocks on the Chandigarh-Manali National Highway has brought relief to commuters and students.