Himachal News: While the country was launching space missions, carving highways through mountains, and linking cities with expressways, a small village in Himachal Pradesh continued to wait for something far more basic—a motorable road. For the people of Tummun village in the Chawasi area of Mandi district, this Monday felt nothing less than a festival. For the first time since Independence, a vehicle reached their village, and with it came a government bus.
A 2.7-Kilometre Road That Changed Lives
The Public Works Department has constructed a 2.7-kilometre-long road from Shakeld to Tummun, finally connecting this difficult-to-reach hill village to the main road network. For generations, villagers depended on narrow footpaths and rough trails, carrying the sick, the elderly, and schoolchildren on foot. This road is not just an infrastructure project—it marks a turning point in the lives of the people who have waited nearly eight decades for basic connectivity.
The news that a bus would reach the village for the first time spread quickly, filling the entire area with excitement and emotion.
In cities, buses are ignored.
In Tummun, Karsog (Mandi), villagers celebrate a bus with ribbon-cutting and flower garlands 💐
Why?
Because it’s the first time an HRTC bus has reached their village.In the hills, connectivity is celebration.
That’s why HRTC isn’t just… pic.twitter.com/6gk5PL8O1n
— The Modern Himachal (@I_love_himachal) December 30, 2025
A Bus Welcomed Like a Bride
Soon after the road was completed, a trial run of a Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus was organized. The bus was flagged off from Shakeld to Tummun by Karsog Sub-Divisional Magistrate Gaurav Mahajan. Villagers gathered in large numbers to welcome officials and elected representatives, and many boarded the bus themselves to experience the historic journey from Tummun to Shakeld and back.
As the bus entered the village, people lined both sides of the road, smiling, waving, and celebrating. In a moment that reflected their joy and relief, villagers welcomed the bus the way a newlywed bride is traditionally welcomed into a home—with warmth, pride, and emotion.
Expressing gratitude to the district administration, the Public Works Department, HRTC, and all concerned departments, villagers also made a heartfelt appeal: that the bus service should not remain a symbolic gesture on paper, but be run regularly so that the people of Tummun finally enjoy a permanent and reliable transport facility.
