NEW DELHI: The road density in non-tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh crossed 68.80 km per 100 square kilometres during the year 2006, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said here while announcing the Annual Plan for the Year 2007-2008.
After a meeting with Planning Commission Chairman, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Singh informed that Rs 278 crore would be spent on strengthening of the transport sector in the state. The emphasis would be laid on completion of various ongoing road and bridge projects.
He said that 8,344 villages had been provided with road network facilities by March 31, 2006 in the state and 25,968 kilometre motorable roads, 15,657 kilometres roads with cross drainage, 14,975 kilometre metalled and tarred roads and 1,416 bridges were set up in the state by the date.
About 57.67% of the roads in Himachal Pradesh were metalled and tarred at the end of March 2006 and 29,011 kilometre road length had been created in the state.
Himachal Pradesh, according to the Chief Minister has also achieved 81.71 percent target in providing road network to the villages. The motorable road length to connect all feasible villages works out to about 30,500 kilometre while the state has already created motorable road infrastructure measuring length of 25,968 Km. Sixty-six per cent feasible villages have been provided with road connectivity in the state.
About 57.67% of the roads in Himachal Pradesh were metalled and tarred at the end of March 2006…
Seems District Shimla is not included in this figure. The entire district has extremely poor village roads. The road to my village in Shimla Hills was constructed and metaled in the year 1971 when Dr Parmar was the Chief Minister. I was born in the year 1975 and it was by the year 1980 that I could see and understand things. By 1980 the road had become bumpy and the tyring all gone. Its been year 2007 and after 27 years I doubt it can still be called a road at all..!!!!! A trip to my village from Shimla in own car is a costly affair. 500/- bucks for fuel and 1000/- bucks for repairs once upon reaching back Shimla. I still have my college time Bullet to tread on this bumpy and dusty road when moving around locally.
Even the NH-22 from Shimla onwards is in pathetic condition. Coming from Kalka to Shimla on the same highway is a seamless and pleasant drive but cut across Shimla and onwards and you are in a different world of pits, hopeless single lanes, landslide mud spewed on road. How Govt goof up things here is an example.. When infrastructure work on NJPC poject started by 1985, the road from Shimla onwards was widened so that machinery can be transported to the project site. Fine… it was a great misery for 5-6 years traveling on this road with “Work in Progress” sign on every turn. 17 years down the lane, no work on double laning has been done. The road has been widened but its still a single lane road. Another bane on this highway is crossing the Theog Bazaar. The road from the starting to end point of the bazaar is a big pain……………… with stretches of pits, unmettaled road. Same is the condition from Narkanda to Kumarsain and the road damaged in Satluj floods near Rampur and beyond is still the same. This is the condition of NH… what to talk about village roads.
Since the sarkaar and the bada babus travel frequently to Chandigarh/Delhi, the stretch of road from Shimla to Kalka is kept upto the mark. But what about janta class?? We dont have the luxury of Scorpios & Ballinos with specially fitted anti jerk mechanism. Now you know why all new govt vehicles are not the old lovable Ambassadors.