Driving on potholed Chheharta-Chabal road a nightmare

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 19

The 19-km Chheharta-Chabal stretch via Dhand Kasel is in a deteriorating condition posing a threat to the lives of commuters. Besides, it has lots of potholes. Though the road leads to various historical and religious shrines, the authorities concerned have failed to relay it.

The prominent Gurdwara Chhevi Patshahi Chheharta, Gurdwara Sanh Sahib, Gurdwara Teeji Patshahi (birthplace of Guru Amar Das) Baserke Gillan, ancient Shiv Temple of Kasel, prominent Jain temple of Baba Vera Ji and Gurdwara Baba Budha Sahib Ji (Bir Sahib) is located along the road, but the attitude of the Punjab Government or the department concerned was pathetic.

Rajpreet Singh, a devotee, said, “I have come to pay obeisance at Gurdwara Baba Budha Sahib and I always prefer this route but travelling on the bad road was a bad experience for him and his family.” He said, “The road needs immediate attention of the authorities and the government must understand the importance of the road.”

Kamaljeet Singh, another commuter from Chheharta, said, “I work at Bhikhiwind and it is the shortest route to my destination, but it is very hard to drive on the road. Only 2-km stretch connecting Gurdwara Baba Budha Sahib and Chabal town is in a good condition, but the rest of the road is unsafe to travel,” he said.

Sunil Kumar, “I am surprised why the authorities are not doing repairs to it. A large number of devotees from different areas will visit Prachin Shiv Mandir at Kasel village on the occasion of Mahashivratri and they prefer the road to reach the shrine.”

He said, “There is a great volume of traffic on the narrow road. People coming from Ferozepur, Abohar and Fazilka districts now prefer the road after the opening of the bridge over the Sutlej near Kot Buddha village as it cuts the distance to reach Amritsar.”