Heavy rains, landslides block Himachal highways for 6 hrs: 20km jam on Chandigarh-Shimla NH

The administration has asked people to be careful while travelling on the Chandigarh-Manali highway.

Landslides caused by heavy rains blocked the Chandigarh-Shimla and Chandigarh-Manali national highways for over five hours early this morning, disrupting the tourist traffic and supplies of essentials to many hill towns.

Vehicles in a jam due to landslide on the Kalka-Shimla highway in Solan district on Saturday, August 5. (HT Photo)

The Chandigarh-Shimla NH was blocked near Dharampur due to a massive landslide. The road remained closed for nearly five hours and resulted in a 20-kilometre long traffic jam, delaying the supplies to Shimla and Solan. It also led to long traffic jams on the highway, which is seeing a heavy rush of tourists these days.

Landslides and landslips have dotted the Chandigarh-Manali highway on Saturday. (HT Photo)

The administration has asked people to be careful while travelling as a number of land slips have taken place on the Chandigarh-Manali highway. The Solan district administration official said the road was finally opened to traffic around 7.30 am.

A landslide near the Hanogi Mata temple on the Chandigarh-Manali highway blocked the road for nearly six hours this morning. This brought all vehicular movement to a halt, leading to a long line of vehicles on both sides of the spot. Shimla, Mandi, Solan, Kullu and Kangra districts of the state have been receiving incessant rain for the last 24 hours. The meteorological department has forecast heavy rains in some parts of the state this weekend.