Panchkula: After nearly two years of complaints over the condition of the old Pinjore-Kalka highway, the public works department (PWD) has finally started patchwork on the stretch. However, commuters waiting for a permanent solution will have to wait longer, with the road’s resurfacing still in the tendering stage.In an RTI reply, the PWD’s provincial sub-division, Kalka, said the tender for recarpeting the road has already been floated and bids are scheduled to be opened in the second week of Oct. Further action will be taken after the tender process is completed.The department said patchwork is under way to improve the road’s condition and keep traffic moving smoothly. Permanent repairs and recarpeting, however, are yet to begin.PWD also informed that work on 63 roads under the Kalka sub-division is nearing completion. Haryana govt has approved repairs of 10 more roads for 2026-27, and the tender process for these works has started.The old highway is a key link between Pinjore and Kalka and is used daily by students, office-goers, factory workers and tourists. Potholes and damaged stretches have long troubled commuters, particularly on the route leading to Yadavindra Gardens and the Kalka Devi temple.Questioning the delay, Shivalik Vikas Manch president Vijay Bansal said the road deteriorated soon after it was rebuilt around two years ago.“The monsoon is over and authorities are still in the tendering stage. Recarpeting should have begun by now. Even the patchwork has failed at several places,” he said.Bansal said the organisation had earlier served a legal notice on Haryana govt and PWD officials. After receiving no response, it sent a reminder on Oct 5, following which the Panchkula deputy commissioner directed the Kalka SDM and PWD SDO to take action.He warned that the organisation would move the Punjab and Haryana high court through a PIL if the road is not resurfaced soon.
