NHAI approves Rs 825 cr for Kiratpur-Manali highway restoration

Kullu: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has approved Rs 825 crore for restoration and stabilisation works in flood- and landslide-prone stretches of the Kiratpur-Manali highway.The authority has also engaged a consultant to carry out detailed geological studies and recommend long-term solutions to recurring landslides and riverbank damage along the route.Based on the studies, as many as 44 critical locations between Pandoh and Manali have been identified for mitigation. These include one site in Thalout, nine in Jhalogi and 34 locations between Kullu and Manali. The authority has allotted the work to five companies.The project aims to regulate river flow, stabilise slopes, construct retaining and protective structures, strengthen and realign weak stretches, and install check dams to control debris and silt from upstream areas.The consultant has flagged several landslide-prone zones, including Jhalogi, Thalout, Nagarni and Jalanal, along with multiple river-cut stretches where the highway faces risk due to toe cutting (erosion at the base of slopes caused by floods)."A key component of the project is the construction of check dams on tributaries of the Beas river to control debris flow, reduce silt movement and minimise the impact of flash floods," said a senior NHAI official.The critical locations identified by the authority for immediate action include the Kullu-Manali stretch, parts of which were severly damaged at multiple locations in the Beas floods of 2023 and 2025. According to officials, the highway tunnel at Jhalogi and Dwara flyover near Aut, which was damaged following massive landslides, is another critical site where immediate intervention is required.The official added: "Our target is to provide uninterrupted all-weather connectivity on the Manali highway, which also connects Leh, by reducing risk of landslides, falling boulders and road washouts witnessed during the monsoon season."Over two dozen landslides occurred last year on the Kiratpur-Manali highway in July and Aug, blocking the road to Manali for several hours — even up to three days in a row. The frequent road closures threw life out of gear in parts of Mandi and Kullu districts as all goods' transportation came to a standstill.Box: Highway section | Work on | Location | Cost (cr)Pandoh-Kullu | Landslide | 1 site in Thalout | Rs 128Pandoh-Kullu | Landslide/erosion | 9 sites in Jhalogi area | Rs 228.7Kullu-Manali | Erosion | 35 stretches between Kullu and Manali | Rs 468.8MSID:: 130468012 413 |