NH 5 blocked after massive landslide at Himachal’s Chaura, pileup of vehicles

The tribal district of Kinnaur was cut off from the state capital Shimla following a massive landslide on the Hindustan-Tibet Road (National Highway 5) at Chaura, officials said on Saturday. Huge boulders and other debris came down sliding on the road near the natural tunnel at the entry of the Kinnaur district on Friday night, hindering even pedestrian movement. With the apple season not yet over in the higher hills, a large number of vehicles including trucks is stranded on either side of the blockade. Officials said on Saturday that restoration work is underway in full swing and boulders are being removed. Heavy machinery has been deployed to drill the hard rock and carve a passage for stranded vehicles. Earlier also, the NH 5 was blocked near Nugalsari, a few kilometers ahead of Chaura, following a massive landslide on the night of September 7. It took almost 10 days for the road to be opened for traffic. Frequent landslides on this road in an ecologically fragile area has become a bane for local people and fruit producers especially apple-growers who said they want a lasting solution. Kinnaur is famous for high quality juicy apples and transportation from the lower belts of Kinnaur starts in August, while apples from higher reaches continue to arrive in the markets till November end. Apple production has declined this year due to the vagaries of weather. About 30 lakh boxes are expected in 2023 in Kinnaur as compared to about 40-42 lakh boxes last year in 2022, Deputy Director Horticulture (Kinnaur) Ajay Kumar Dhiman said.