Traffic jams on Pathankot NH irk tourists

Our Correspondent

Palampur, December 29

Long traffic jams on the Pathankot-Mandi national highway near Kalu Di Hatti have been causing a lot of inconvenience to thousands of tourists and locals who travel on this highway daily. The situation is so bad that it has virtually become a nightmare to travel on this stretch. Many accidents have taken place on the stretch with many of them involving two-wheelers.

Long queues of vehicles can be seen between Maranda and Kalu Di Hatti. The narrow road at this point is also dotted with a large number of potholes, which along with negligent parking, have further aggravated the problem.

The situation has moved from bad to worse ever since the road was taken over by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The authority has failed to fill potholes at many points.

Palampur DSP said the NHAI and the PWD authorities were informed about the poor condition of the road several times, but no steps were initiated to repair the damaged stretches of the highway.

He said police had deputed traffic constables to regulate traffic, but long traffic jams could not be averted because of narrow roads with idle parking.

Executive Engineer, national highway division, Jogindernagar, said this stretch was transferred from the state Public Works Department to the NHAI four years ago. Now it was the responsibility of the highways authority to maintain the road.