Exactly twelve months ago on September 18, 2010 the road to Binsar in the Kumaon hills was completely devastated. Torrential monsoon rain beat down on mushy hillsides for hours until they finally gave way. Landslides blocked the entire 120km route from Kathgodam at the foothills all the way up via Khairna and Almora to Binsar. The Kosi river flooded and nearly 30km of road disappeared.

 

In June 2011 there was great excitement because Kingfisher Airlines began a Delhi-Pantnagar flight. This transformed the gruelling six-hour drive from Delhi to the foothills to a one-hour flight. However, all this was wasted excitement because this key road, which is a lifeline to Almora and beyond, is an even bigger nightmare today than it was a year ago. Why? Because it has still not been repaired.

 

It really baffles me that the government bodies concerned with repairing roads and making travel safe have no concept of what it means to provide safety or facilitate basic connectivity. The once-beautiful stretch from Khairna to Kwarab has been ‘under repair’ indefinitely. In fact, this stretch has become even more dangerous to drive on. There is no attention given to crumbling edges that could mean a sheer drop into the river. Heavy trucks and cars courageously ply this route every day and as they crawl to their respective destinations, the hope of ever having a proper road recedes into memory.

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