Traffic jams in Chogan market become order of day in Nurpur

Rajiv Mahajan

Nurpur, April 16

The Chogan market on the Pathankot-Mandi national highway (NH)-154 in Nurpur town is no stranger to traffic jams these days. Frequent snarl-ups have become the order of the day. The narrow stretch of the NH and inadequate space for entering and exiting buses at the bus stand add to the traffic woes. These traffic bottlenecks, a bane for commuters, have also made the movement of pedestrians difficult in the busy market.

As there is no notified parking lot in the Chogan market, vehicles remain stranded alongside the road adding to the woes of commuters during the day. The NH has been witnessing greater traffic volume with the onset of tourist season. The commuters, including tourists, coming from outside of the state are the worst sufferers as they get stuck in traffic jams for long hours. Even the traffic police personnel deployed near Chogan’s bus stand for regulating the vehicular movement can be seen helpless amidst the frequent jams.

The lack of parking facilities has aggravated the situation here. The bus stand built at a cost of Rs 1.40 crore seven years ago on the Old Veterinary Hospital premises has also led to increased traffic congestion as it has inadequate space for the movement of buses.

The bus stand was built under the Bus Stand Management Development Authority (BSMDA).

The entry and exit points of the bus stand are narrow and when any bus enters or exits the bus stand, it creates chaos on the NH. The frequent jams are also affecting businesses in the market. Vehicles ply on the NH at a high speed, endangering the life of pedestrians in the market and also increasing the chances of road mishaps.

Some traders Rajiv Kumar, Ritesh, Vinay, Kewal, Promod, Manoj and Chetan Kumar of the Chogan market lamented that frequent traffic jams had become routine on this stretch of the national highway.

The situation had not only caused inconvenience to people coming to the market for shopping, but had also increased pollution in the area.

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