Trucks Stuck In 50-Km Jam On Chandigarh-Kullu Highway, Apples Worth Crores Rotting
Truck drivers say the situation has caused significant losses. Consignments of apples, tomatoes, and vegetables worth crores of rupees are rotting inside stranded vehicles.
Heavy rainfall and multiple landslides have caused massive disruptions on the Chandigarh-Kullu highway, leading to a traffic jam stretching nearly 50 km. Thousands of vehicles, including hundreds of trucks carrying essential goods, remain stranded for several days, severely impacting supplies to Delhi-NCR.
Officials confirmed that the Chandigarh-Manali highway has been blocked at multiple points between Mandi and Kullu. While small vehicles have been allowed to move, heavy trucks are still stuck as clearance operations continue. The disruption has halted the movement of fruits, vegetables, and other essential commodities.
Truck Drivers Claim Huge Loss
Truck drivers say the situation has caused significant losses. Consignments of apples, tomatoes, and vegetables worth crores of rupees are rotting inside stranded vehicles. Each truckload is estimated at Rs 4-4.5 lakh, and apples alone worth over Rs 50 crore remain stuck, they said.
Gaffar, a driver transporting apples to the Sahibabad fruit market, said his truck has been immobilised in Kullu for the past five days. “Thousands of trucks bound for Azadpur and Sahibabad mandis are trapped. Our produce is perishing,” he was quoted as saying in an NDTV report.
Beas River Raging In Himachal Pradesh
Authorities blame the Beas River’s strong current for damaging multiple sections of the road. Ashok Chauhan, an NHAI engineer in Kullu-Manali, said repair work is underway, but heavy rains are slowing progress.
Local resident Jai Bhal warned that homes near Ramshila have already been damaged and urged authorities to take preventive measures to avoid future disasters.
Manali’s connectivity has been partially cut off. Since Monday, four shops, two restaurants, and one house have been damaged in the region. In Bilaspur district’s Naina Devi constituency, a house collapsed after heavy rains in Manjhed village on Wednesday.
Officials have urged travellers to avoid the route until further notice as clearance work continues under challenging conditions.
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