Villagers in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh carried the body of an 80-year-old woman on their shoulders for around six kilometres after a road connecting her village remained closed for nearly three months. The incident took place in the Dhartidhar area of Nahan subdivision after the road was damaged during the monsoon and remained inaccessible to vehicles. The situation has prompted residents to demand an early restoration of the route.

The woman, identified as Parma Devi of Gulrawala village in Dhageda panchayat, died while undergoing treatment at PGI Chandigarh. Her family transported her body by vehicle from Chandigarh to the Rama-Dhageda main road. However, the vehicle could not proceed further because the Tina-Gulrawala road was still closed, leaving the family and villagers with no road access to the village.

Locals subsequently tied the body to a pole and carried it over their shoulders along a rough and uneven route for about six kilometres to reach Gulrawala. Parma Devi's son Ramender was accompanied by BDC member and former panchayat pradhan Virender Singh Thakur and other villagers. The body was eventually taken to the village cremation ground, where the last rites were conducted.

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Residents said the prolonged closure has affected access to essential services for people living in Gulrawala and nearby villages. They said villagers are being forced to travel several kilometres on foot to reach markets, hospitals, schools, colleges, the tehsil and district headquarters. The road's condition has also created difficulties for medical emergencies and the transportation of agricultural produce.

The nearly eight-kilometre Tina-Gulrawala road was constructed in 2014 and connects Gulrawala, Bendli and other villages with the Rama-Dhageda main road, which provides onward access to the Paonta Sahib-Kala Amb National Highway. Virender Singh Thakur said the road closure was affecting both daily life and emergencies, with farmers also struggling to transport crops to markets. He said the Public Works Department had restored the road after previous closures, but it remained shut this time.

According to local residents, the route's continued closure has increased the difficulties faced by communities that depend on it for regular transportation and emergency access. They have called for the road to be restored at the earliest. The monsoon in Himachal Pradesh arrived on June 30 and withdrew on October 3, with residents continuing to seek action on the damaged road and its prolonged inaccessibility.

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