The governments of the Himalayan hill-states and the international donor agencies have consistently advocated disbursal of funds for improvement of road connectivity in keeping with the mandates of a “development paradigm” that advocates the importance of bringing remote mountain villages under the influence of modernisation and change. This paper evaluates the impact of such accessibility in a mid-Himalayan belt of Himachal Pradesh, through field studies. While road mileage has expanded at a fairly rapid pace, initiating development and change in numerous spheres, the paper argues that reckless road construction activities initiated under strategic, political or economic compulsions have adversely affected the fragile environment of the region.