Broken, waterlogged Kharar-Landran road leaves commuters frustrated

With dilapidated road, traversing on Kharar-Landran national highway has become an onerous task this monsoon season. Besides, long queues of vehicles become common sights near Shivalik City after rain as choked drains result in waterlogging on the National Highway.

The traffic is forced to move at a snail’s pace in risky conditions. To make matters worse, heavy vehicles, including trucks and buses, plying from Kharar toward Landran often move on the wrong side in turn blocking both sides of the road.

Residents have been demanding for traffic police to be deployed on the stretch to enforce traffic rules and avoid unnecessary jams for a long time. “No traffic police is deployed at the spot. The administration cannot look after the roads, the Municipal Corporation (MC) cannot check waterlogging, the police cannot ensure traffic rules. What use are they for us?” Bhalinder Singh, a local resident, questioned.

The approach roads to many housing societies in Kharar were waterlogged after fresh showers today. “Covering a stretch of merely 100 meters between entry gates of Gillco Valley Sector-127 and Gillco Palms in Sector 115, both falling on the Kharar-Landran road, has become a tedious task. It takes at least 15 to 20 minutes at any time of the day,” said Balkar Singh a Gillco Alley resident.

Frustrated, residents staged a protest and lambasted the Kharar Municipal Council for its alleged lackadaisical approach towards the issue.

They said the road, especially outside the Shivalik Enclave, witnesses traffic jam due to waterlogging every monsoon season, adding that the situation is the worst that they have experienced.

The main market near Patiala chowk in Zirakpur was also left waterlogged this afternoon. Both sides of the road were submerged under at least one-foot deep water as shopkeepers, pedestrians and two wheeler owners struggled to commute.

Many vehicles were stranded as they developed snags due to water entering them. School students, meanwhile, had were also seen returning home in knee-deep water.