Baddi roads choked as Punjab bandh forces diversion of New Year traffic

The Pinjore-Baddi highway was choked with traffic due to diversion of vehicles heading towards Kullu and Manali following Punjab bandh today.

Tourists hoping to celebrate the New Year in these picturesque destinations were compelled to drive through the Pinjore-Baddi national highway instead of the usual Ropar-Kiratpur-Mandi route.

They were also denied an exciting ride through the three tunnels which have been carved out on this route in the newly four-laned highway.

The Pinjore-Baddi-Nalagarh highway, which already sees an influx of industrial vehicles, faced an added lot of tourist vehicles today. While 30,000 vehicles already ply on a daily basis in this industrial cluster, several thousand were added today due to the Punjab bandh.

“As four-laning work is underway on this highway, the movement of vehicles was partially hit, though additional policemen were deputed to deal with the exigency. However, traffic was diverted smoothly throughout the day,” informed Additional SP Baddi Ashok Verma.

Trucks from the industrial belt of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh headed for Punjab with finished goods and those going to warehouses at Zirakpur in Punjab had to halt their movement today. Several industrial houses have their warehouses in and around Zirakpur where goods are regularly sent.

Others going to Delhi had to take arterial routes through the Panchkula-Barwala route to reach Delhi, informed Pradeep, an official of a Baddi-based fast-moving consumer goods factory.

Dinesh Kaushal, general secretary, Nalagarh Truck Operators Union, confirmed that at least 350 to 400 trucks were either held up in Punjab or could not undertake any transportation work today in view of the Punjab bandh.

At least 25 trips of state-owned Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation buses for places like Una, Ambala, Ropar and Malerkotla were affected today. As a bus has to cross various places in Punjab while heading to Una, HRTC buses on this route could not ply today. Buses headed for places like Malerkotla in Punjab could not go beyond Chandigarh, informed HRTC officials.