Those touring Himachal are accustomed to frequent traffic jams on narrow serpentine roads turning journey into a nightmare. However, the World Bank funded $82 million project for roads transformation is likely to become a game changer.
About 5,000 tourist vehicles enter the capital of the hill state Shimla every day and the situation in Manali and Dharamsala is no better. During peak season the situation becomes all the more difficult on roads. The transportation of apples and other fruit crops to markets outside Himachal Pradesh is also a major problem because of lack of infrastructure and problems allegedly created by monopoly transport unions. There are about 1.25 lakh vehicles registered in Shimla itself. According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the cumulative FDI inflows in Himachal Pradesh were valued at US$ 22.83 million between October 2019 and March 2021. However, lack of adequate infrastructure and roads network often become a bottleneck for investors to pump in funds in the hill state.
The government has come out with an Expression of Interest (EoI) for Consultancy Services “Consultancy Services for Replacement/upgradation of Existing Web based Road Management System (RMS) application with RAMS along with data collection and engineering services” (RAMS). This is part of the $82 M project signed by the Government of India, the Government of Himachal Pradesh and the World Bank for the implementation of Himachal Pradesh State Roads Transformation Project. The project aims to strengthen transport and road safety institutions of Himachal Pradesh by improving the condition, safety, resilience and engineering standards of the state road network.
The Himachal Pradesh State Roads Transformation Project will finance initiatives to build climate and disaster resilient roads; improve road safety along tourism corridors in Himachal; enhance logistics along fruit belts; and support the government’s initiative to create a corporate entity responsible for ensuring well-performing roads. A third of the maintenance contracts under the project will be awarded to women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs).
In 2020, 788 persons had died and the state had witnessed 2,014 accidents in 2020 in which 2,855 persons had been injured during the year. In 2018, around 1.2 thousand people lost their lives in road accidents across the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Traffic discrepancies have been a major source of death, injury and damage to property every year. In 2018, over-speeding of vehicles was the main reason for road accident casualties. In 2021, the monsoon death toll in Himachal Pradesh climbed to 432 which is considered as the highest in the last five years while twelve people have died in the last 24 hours, according to the Disaster Management Authority. Widespread rains and snowfall at high altitude passes resulting in a series of landslides, disruption of major roads and National Highways often throw life completely out of gear in Himachal Pradesh. This creates havoc for the travellers which also result in several road accidents including some fatal.
