Road under repair creates traffic chaos on Amritsar-Tarn Taran stretch

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 16

The ongoing digging work on the Amritsar-Tarn Taran road near Gurwali village is causing trouble to the commuters due to dust, potholes and the slow-moving traffic.

As a major portion of the road has been occupied by heavy earth-movers, the passage available for traffic has become too narrow to let two vehicles cross at the same time. As a result, the traffic from one side has to be stopped till the time vehicles from other side cross.

The road witnessed a major traffic jam this morning, as a truck broke down on the muddy road near the point where work on the road is going on. It forced the traffic police to ban the entry of all heavy vehicles including buses on the road.

The road, NH15, connects Amritsar with Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and even up to Abohar. However, residents feel that the slow pace of work which is going on for almost two years is causing the real trouble.

“Earlier, the work was being done near the railway crossing. It took months before the problem decreased a little. Now again, the work seems to be going slow, as only three-four machines have been engaged. It would be better if enough machines and manpower is engaged to expedite the work,” said a commuter, Harshinder Kaur.

As a large number of people from Tarn Taran come to work in the city daily, the potholed road has become a nuisance for them. “The travel time has increased, as routes of buses have been changed. It takes almost 30 minutes extra,” said Arshdeep Singh, another daily visitor to this city.

The buses are routed to city through link roads of nearby villages which were not made for heavy vehicles. Even the trucks are not allowed on the main Amritsar-Tarn Taran road these days.

The shopkeepers in Gurwali village complained that slow pace of work and dust displaced by the vehicles has affected their lives.