VIP visits hassle residents

Our Correspondent

KULLU, APRIL 25

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda was accorded a warm welcome by BJP members here today. The minister addressed a gathering at the Rath ground in Dhalpur with district BJP leaders and workers in attendance.

His visit witnessed police challaning vehicles parked alongside roads. Residents and businessmen of Shashtri Nagar rued that even while there was no parking facility provided by the Municipal Committee (MC) or the government, the police did not let the vehicles to even halt alongside the road today.

The region has a private hospital, an eye clinic and three banks, besides various general shops and visitors had no other option but to park vehicles along the roadside, as the nearest parking is at Dhalpur.

Even the road adjoining the District Courts and Deputy Commissioner’s Office were cleared by the police, while generally vehicles remain parked on one side, which had been separated by a white line. However, the vehicles were allowed to be parked inside the historic Dhalpur ground today.

Rahul, a resident, lamented that while the revenue collected by the government from the vehicles had increased over the years, the road and parking facilities were more or less the same in the township.

Another resident said while the police otherwise overlooked even heavy vehicles parked on the streets, the routine parking spaces were vacated during such VIP visits.

While various proposals to develop parking lots at Akhara, Sarwari and Shashtri Nagar had been off-late appr-oved by the Municipal Committee, the residents had no respite till these started functioning and accommodating vehicles.

The situation further worsens during the summer season as the valley witnesses inflow of large number of tourist vehicles daily.