British Raj built Hindustan-Tibet road to be revived partly

In Himachal Pradesh, the Hindustan-Tibet road is to be revived to serve as a reliable alternative way to National Highway-22 and boost the local economy. The road was once connected Rampur, the seat of the erstwhile princely state of Bushair, which was a major entrepot to the Tibet border. Over the years it fell into disuse and was abandoned. Now the Hindustan-Tibet road, first laid by the British India in the 19th century to connect with Tibet for trade through Shipki-La border post on the India-China border, is to be revived.

The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said the reconstruction of the Hindustan-Tibet road will be a better alternative as its strata is more stable. He said his government would take up the matter with the Central government for adequate funding for revival and relaying of the Hindustan-Tibet road, which was laid so scientifically that it was hardly swept away by the floods.

The CM said the government will try to make it at least jee (SUV)-worthy. Later, it will be strengthened. It will not only ensure an alternative road link but also boost local economy, he added. The treacherous highway, which connects the trans-Himalayan Buddhist area of Kinnaur and neighbouring Spiti to the rest of Himachal Pradesh, travels largely parallel to the mighty flood-prone Satluj river in Kinnaur district.

It remains disrupted between a 100-km stretch from Wangtoo and Khab at one point or another owing to flooding in the river. The decision on re-laying the Hindustan-Tibet road is significant as it will come as another lifeline for scores of villages, dotted with apple orchards, which otherwise remain cut off owing to the snapping of the highway.