After stranding tourists for 20 hours, Himachal’s Mandi-Kullu highway opens

Nearly 200 tourists who had traveled to the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh for their summer vacations found themselves in a nightmarish situation when they became stranded in a 15 km-long traffic jam due to a blockade on the national highway connecting Mandi and Kullu. They were unable to find hotel rooms for a staggering 20 hours.

The highway had been blocked since the previous evening due to landslides and flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall in the hilly state. Officials reported that explosives were used to clear the heavy boulders blocking the road.

After enduring 20 hours of distress, the stranded tourists finally received some relief as the Mandi-Kullu highway was reopened for traffic. However, during those 20 hours, the commuters experienced a harrowing ordeal.

Mandi SHO Sakini Kapoor addressed the development, stating that a single-lane road on the highway had been opened for traffic and urged people to cooperate. He mentioned that the road was clear up to Manali.

Speaking to NDTV, stranded tourists Sohail Yousuf and Azaz Hasan recounted their experience. They revealed that they were on their way to Bhuntar airport when they became stuck.

Hasan described multiple landslides between Mandi and Sundarnagar, with the police instructing them to turn back at 10 pm. He mentioned that the traffic jam extended at least 15 km. Hasan expressed concern for the families and children among the stranded tourists, noting that many had booked entire buses and were unable to find hotel rooms.

Hasan highlighted the presence of tourist resorts and power projects in the area but emphasized the lack of alternative roads connecting them. He criticized the delay in clearing the road despite the highway being shut since 5 pm the previous day.

He suggested the implementation of a system to inform people about blockades before they reach them, sharing their own experience of driving for five hours after the landslide without knowing about the road blockade. By the time they reached, a six-kilometer traffic jam had already formed.

Another tourist, Adesh Katyayan, who was caught in the inclement weather while traveling to Kullu, mentioned that they had to return to Mandi and spent the night there. They were now en route to Kullu again. He observed around 500 stranded cars on their way back to Mandi and witnessed many people spending the night on the road.