Poor planning triggers traffic chaos at road repair sites across city

Even as residents appreciated the ongoing road recarpeting work in and around Amritsar, commuters entering the city via the Amritsar-Bhikhiwind-Khemkaran road faced severe traffic snarls on Sunday. The chaos erupted after road repair work was undertaken simultaneously on both key entry routes, one leading towards Khazana Gate and the other towards Naiana Wala Morh, without any signboards, barricades or prior traffic advisories to guide motorists.

Scores of vehicles were stranded for long hours near the city’s entry points as there was no clear indication of alternate routes. Sanjeev Kumar, a commuter from Jhabal, recounted his ordeal. “I was stuck near the railway crossing close to Khazana Gate where machines were working on the road. I tried to take the Naiana Wala Morh route towards Lahori Gate, but that stretch too was blocked due to ongoing repair work,” he said.

“There was no signboard or official to guide commuters. If the administration had planned an alternate route, such as the stretch from Naiana Wala Morh to Islamabad, and made public aware of it, hundreds could have avoided this mess.”

Another commuter, Baldev Singh, said the pace of road repair work had picked up following the Chief Minister’s announcement to upgrade 19,000 km of roads across the state. “While the move is welcome, the administration and contractors appear indifferent to the difficulties being faced by people. The rush to complete work has led to poor planning,” he said.

Many residents urged the administration to issue prior public notices or advisories before initiating road work to help commuters plan their travel. “Authorities must avoid carrying out work on all connecting routes at the same time. Coordination and communication are essential to ensure that development does not come at the cost of public convenience,” said another local resident.