Gandolas on UT-Shimla route on cards

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 30

To cut down traffic congestion on the choked Shimla-Chandigarh route, the Himachal Government is planning gandola services with stations at Parwanoo, Barog, Kasauli and Tara Devi with the assistance from the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Travelling on the Shimla-Chandigarh highway on weekends is nothing short of a nightmare.

It forces the government to explore the possibility of alternate transport system.

“I discussed the issue with Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi yesterday and he assured me of all help to provide alternate transport means on the Shimla-Chandigarh National Highway, which has a huge volume of traffic,” said Transport Minister GS Bali.

He said the project was being conceived and would be taken up in a phased manner as this would help reduce the traffic congestion on this route, especially during the peak tourist season and when the apple season was on.

“We intend creating five stations at Parwanoo, Kasauli, Barog, Kandaghat and tara Devi and also have huge multi-storied parking lots for vehicles and other facilities such as a multiplex, restaurants, which will go a long way in promoting tourism,” said Transport Minister Bali.

Even though four-laning of the Parwanoo-Shimla highway is under way, considering the volume of traffic on this route, having gandola service can help provide alternate modes which are popular among tourists.

The “Queen of Hills” is flooded with tourists on weekends and most of the visitors from the nearby states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir are frequent travellers to places like Kasauli and Barog.

The four-hour journey on the Shimla-Chandigarh route can take six to eight hours during the apple season when hundreds of trucks ply on this road throughout the day and night. In case ofa landslide at any point on this route, the journey gets even morecumbersome.

The state government is very keen on ropeways not just in the state capital but also at the popular tourist destinations such as Manali, Kullu, Palampur and various shrines such as Naina Devi in Bilaspur and Bijli Mahadev in Kullu.

It is being expected that the ropeway having five stations and connecting Shimla from the bypass-ISBT-the Mall will help reduce traffic congestion in the town.

The construction of a huge parking lot is already being undertaken by the Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation at Tutikandi on the Shimla bypass.