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On July 8, amid the celebration of its 15th anniversary as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 122-year-old narrow-gauge Kalka Shimla railway suffered its worst ever disaster as its 96.6 km of tracks were damaged at 135 points.
While railway officials blame this destruction on the “unscientific” placement of drainage pipes under the four-lane Kalka-Shimla National Highway, which is operated by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the latter says the damage was “primarily caused by Natural disaster “.
Tracks that have been featured in many films, including the popular Hindi film song “The house is calling, City is coming downObstacles were witnessed at more than 135 locations – 100 between Kalka and Solan, and 35 between Solan and Shimla.
While the railway authorities managed to clear 35 posts between Solan and Shimla, and even got an engine running between the two stations last week, they estimate that restoring the entire stretch, which was constructed between 1898 and 1903, will take about a month.
The trails, which have 18 scenic stops, pass through 102 tunnels with 988 bridges, and were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 8, 2008.
On Monday, the Northern Railways extended the cancellation of trains between Kalka and Shimla until August 6. Expressing concern about the situation, Digital Rights Director, Ambala, Mandeep Singh Bhatia said, “It is the first time that these tracks have been out of action for so long. . . they have never in their history suffered damage to this extent. We have conveyed our concerns to NHAI officials. They will also be Take up this issue at the ministry level.”
To assess the extent of the damage and the restoration plan, Bhatia visited the tracks with the railway engineers in the Kalka-Shimla section.
Anand Zia, Project Manager of NHAI (Kalka-Shimla Division) said, “We are aware of the concerns regarding water discharge points set up by NHAI. We assured them (the railway officials) that we would take into account their concerns. However, the damage was primarily caused by a natural disaster. Our property – the highway – also suffered significant damage in approximately 55 locations…”
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