SOLAN, Sept 3 — Vehicular movement on the Parwanoo-Dharampur section of National Highway 5 came to a standstill Wednesday afternoon after a landslide sent boulders and debris tumbling down near Sanwara, police said.
The highway, which carries heavy traffic bound for Shimla, was quickly clogged as vehicles lined up on both sides. Authorities deployed labourers and earth-moving machinery to clear the road, but it took more than two hours before two lanes could be reopened. The lanes adjoining the hillside remained blocked as stones and muck continued to slide down.
Officials attributed the incident to incessant rain, which caused seepage in the fragile slopes. The site has been witnessing intermittent erosion for the past three days. “The highway was restored for traffic movement around 2 p.m.,” Solan SSP Gaurav Singh confirmed.
The disruption underscored the persistent risk of landslides in Himachal Pradesh’s hilly terrain during the monsoon, where recurring slope failures often slow or halt movement on key routes.
