Harrowing time for motorists on Chandigarh-Zirakpur stretch

Gaurav Kanthwal

Zirakpur, February 22

Travelling on the Chandigarh-Zirakpur stretch is a painful experience these days but the 9am-11am time period today became a harrowing experience for the road users. The traffic on the Chandigarh-Zirakpur highway moved at a snail’s pace due to several bottlenecks. The stretch near the underpass site saw a bumper-to-bumper traffic in the peak rush hours in the morning and evening.

The official machinery, the NHAI, the Punjab PWD and the Municipal Council, however, continued to turn a blind eye to the daily harassment of road users. Office-goers, daily commuters and passengers were inconvenienced as a jam-like situation prevailed several times during the day.

Traffic officials said criss-crossing vehicles on the intersections of Patiala chowk, McDonald’s lights, Singhpura chowk created traffic bottlenecks. Arvind Khanna, a daily commuter on Chandigarh-Dera Bassi stretch, said, “Since November last year, it takes him one and a half hours to two hours to reach Dera Bassi from Chandigarh every day. If there is a traffic jam, which happens daily, the time increases to two and a half hours.”

Inner roads, such as the Old Panchkula road, Gazipur road, Singhpura road and the Baltana-Chandigarh road are no better. The K-area lights point on the Zirakpur-Panchkula road is another intersection which witnesses traffic jams almost daily.

A resident of Peermuchalla, Santosh Bishnoi, said, “The situation of the highway is known to everyone but the condition of inner roads is worse. Haphazard construction, potholes, loose gravel and broken tiles make these roads a safety hazard.”

“On a rainy day, normal life is thrown out of gear. Streets and internal roads get waterlogged, restricting the movement of residents in and around the area. Serpentine queues of vehicles are seen from the Ghaggar bridge till Chandigarh border. Residents and shopkeepers of the town suffer for no fault of theirs,” said Ashwani Kumar, a chemist in Bishanpura.