02/05/2025
-Ordinator .BEST STEPFrom Road to Ruin: How a Promised Lifeline Became a Threat in Panchal Pogal Paristan - Ramban.
For the people of Birnihal, Bimnihal, Ochra, Bass, Lonepora, Barthyal, Posnag, and Tulihal in Block Ukhral, District Ramban, the announcement of the Ukhral to Rahoon Top road under NABARD in 2023 was a moment of long-awaited joy. The sanctioned 4 km stretch was expected to bridge decades of isolation and bring vital connectivity to these remote mountain villages. We, the residents, welcomed the project with open arms, even offering land
— without compensation
— and letting go of orchards in the larger interest of development.
But what followed has left us devastated.
The contractor entrusted with the construction carried out indiscriminate cutting and reckless dumping of excavation material along most of the 4 km stretch. Approximately 60% of the road lies on loosely dumped muck, with no engineering measures like retaining or protection walls to support the fragile terrain. As feared, the land has now started sinking. What was supposed to connect us has begun to endanger us.
The consequences are already visible. In village Ochra, six to eight families have become homeless after their houses sank due to the unstable slopes created by the unplanned cutting. This wasn’t a natural calamity — this was the result of human carelessness, poor planning, and zero accountability. Large portions of the hillside have given way, and the damage continues to spread.
To add to the distress, the contractor abandoned the site over six months ago, leaving the work incomplete. Since then, the road has been left exposed to the elements. The recent rains have worsened the situation — about 50% of the road is now blocked due to landslides, while other parts continue to sink. The risk of further collapse looms large, threatening not only property but also lives.
What makes this even more painful is the fact that we were not opposing the road — we demanded it. We saw it as the start of a better future. But no one imagined that this development would come without safeguards, without planning, and without responsibility. Today, we are left with neither road nor land, and the very project that was meant to uplift us has put our existence at risk.
We call for urgent intervention. The authorities must immediately deploy resources to clear the dangerous muck, remove the landslide debris, and stabilize the sinking land. The risky stretches of the road must be reconstructed with proper engineering protections to prevent further damage. Above all, those responsible — particularly the contractor — must be held accountable for this disaster.
This is not just a local issue; it is a case study in how development without planning can turn into destruction. Let this road not become another forgotten of mismanagement.
Let it serve as a warning — and more importantly, a call to action.
Manoj Sinha
Dr Jitendra Singh
Narendra Modi
