Vikasnagar – A major road accident occurred on Tuesday on the Haripur–Koti–Kwanoo–Meenas state highway when a Himachal Roadways bus fell nearly 100 metres into a deep gorge near Sudoee Khadd. The bus was travelling from Chaupal in Himachal Pradesh to Paonta Sahib. According to initial information, the accident took place while the bus was giving way to an oncoming truck, during which the roadside retaining wall collapsed, causing the vehicle to plunge into the gorge.
The Haripur–Koti–Kwanoo–Meenas highway, which is strategically and commercially important, has been in a poor condition for a long time. The 72-kilometre inter-state road connecting Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh is damaged at several locations. Nearly 30 kilometres of the route is only one-and-a-half lane wide, while the remaining stretch is single-lane, making vehicle movement risky, especially for heavy vehicles.
Several retaining walls and protection structures along the route are also in a damaged condition. Despite being identified as a highly accident-prone road, the highway lacks adequate crash barriers at many vulnerable points. Due to the absence of these safety measures, fatal accidents are reported on this route every year.
The road serves as the main entry point to the Jaunsar-Bawar region from Haripur in Kalsi and is used round-the-clock by private vehicles and passenger buses. It is also a key route for vehicles connected to major hydropower projects such as Chibro, Koti and Ichhari. Farmers and orchard owners from Tyuni-Bawar in Uttarakhand and apple-growing areas of Rohru and Shimla in Himachal Pradesh regularly use this route to transport fruits overnight to markets in Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar and Delhi.
Local residents allege that administrative action usually begins only after a serious accident occurs, while public representatives limit themselves to expressing condolences. Long-standing demands for permanent repairs, road widening and installation of crash barriers have not been addressed, increasing the risk to commuters.
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Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department, Sahia Division, Rachna Thapliyal, said, “Estimates are being prepared and sent to senior अधिकारियों for installing crash barriers at locations where they are missing. Repair work at damaged sections of the motor road has also been proposed.”
