A road in Chhattisgarh is famous for its 36 turns and interesting relation with Columbus. The road was built 70 years ago to facilitate connectivity between Chirmiri and Bilaspur. However, the groundwork for the road in Chirmiri had started even before the road was actually constructed. Local labourers had carved out the pathway by cutting the mountains without machines in around 1930, a report in Granthshala said.
Initially, the purpose of this unpaved road was to transport timber for expansion of the railway track in Chirmiri during British rule.
Elders of Chirmiri recall that the road remained kutcha and rocky for several years until 1958 when the government decided to expand it till Bilaspur. The road then got 36 turns in its entire stretch, and has been popularised as 36 turn road as it passes through mountains. Moreover, Vibhuti Bhushan Lahiri, who completed the survey of the road, was known as Columbus of Chirmiri. This road is also has become popular as Columbus road for locals.
The Granthshala report highlighted that the road construction was started in 1962 on the unpaved pathway. The water bound macadam (WBM) road was started in 1967-68 and the WBM work progressed for three years.
The unpaved road was first carved out for the coal mines in Chirmiri and later when the government decided to make a concrete pathway, a coal company also came forward to help in the construction.
The road also helped the state government in exploring the coal potential of Chirmiri and nearby areas.
According to the Union Ministry of Coal, Chhattisgarh has the third largest coal reserves in the country. The state has 20428 million tonnes proven coal reserves. Neighbouring Jharkhand and Odisha are on the first and second spots respectively. While Jharkhand has 45563 million tonnes of proven coal reserves, Odisha has 37391 million tonnes of the same.
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