All arrangements made for the mammoth public meeting of the senior BJP leader and Union Minister, Nitin Gadkari, Surface Transport and Shipping at Sundernagar, 25 km from here, were dashed to the ground by the high velocity squall which swept most parts of the State including districts of Mandi, Kulu, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Kangra on Sunday afternoon.
Beautifully decorated Shamianas were blown to the winds and a gathering of over 10,000 melted within an hour causing disappointment among the organisers. Consequently the mega rally of the BJP was cancelled.
The helicopter of the Union Minister could not land at Sundernagar due to the bad weather. It landed at Nauni near Bilaspur from where Gadkari came to Sundernagar by car.
He inaugurated 4 national highways linking Rampur via Mandi Aut, Banjar and high altitude panoramic Jalori Pass through a 4.2 km tunnel to ensure all weather traffic round the year. The cost of the tunnel would be `1,200 crore.
He said hundreds of lives were being lost due to the abysmal state of roads in Himachal Pradesh and the Prime Minister, Narender Modi was deeply concerned with the loss of precious lives.
He said an ambitious plan had been drawn up by the NHAI to make Himachal roads as world class with the view to harnessing the enormous tourism potential and to realize the dream of making Himachal Pradesh as the Switzerland of India. Funds would not come in the way, he declared.