Mandi, July 22: After a long wait of 37 hours, the Chandigarh-Manali National Highway was finally reopened to traffic at 1 PM today, bringing much-needed relief to stranded commuters. The highway had been closed since Sunday night due to multiple landslides between Mandi and Aut following heavy rainfall.
Rain continued into Monday, worsening the situation. Large boulders had tumbled onto the highway near the Dawada flyover, making clearance operations especially challenging. While debris at most other locations was cleared on Sunday itself, work near Dawada, Jhalogi, and the Shani Mandir stretch began early this morning.
At Dawada, blasting was not an option due to the size and positioning of the boulders, so the team used rock breakers to carefully chip them away. By around 1 PM, the road was finally cleared, and traffic resumed. Tourists, truck drivers carrying vegetables and fruits, and other travelers who had been stuck for nearly two days expressed relief as they resumed their journeys.
During the closure, authorities had diverted light vehicles through the Kamand-Katola route as a temporary measure, but heavy vehicles had to remain halted on the main highway. Mandi SP Sakshi Verma confirmed the reopening and urged travelers to exercise caution while driving, as the region remains vulnerable to more rain-related disruptions.
