Dharamsala ward watch - Kashmir House: Unregulated traffic bane of busy area

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, March 14

Unregulated traffic, encroachment along narrow lanes and damaged roads are the bane of Kashmir House, the ward 4 of the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation.

The ward is named after a heritage building that belonged to former rulers of Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmir House is now in the possession of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC), which is running a hotel from it.

Suresh Majahan, a resident of the area, said the Khara Danda road was a vital connecting link to the Kashmir House ward.

“The road was washed away during the monsoons in 2021. The Public Works Department took a year to repair it. It was again damaged in the last monsoons. The road has been closed for traffic since then, while the PWD was yet to start the repair work,” he said.

“The damaged road has added the woes of some residents, who find it difficult to take out their four-wheelers. The department should expedite the repair of the damaged portion,” he added.

Naresh Chadha, a resident of the Kotwali market area that falls under the Kashmir House ward, said parking on roadside led to traffic jams in their area.

“Many people park their vehicles along roads when they come to shop in the market. Since the road passing through the market is narrow and busy, the parked vehicles lead to jams. The police act against illegal parking only when there is a VIP movement. However, common people have to bear with traffic jams throughout the day. Cops should be deployed on a regular basis to check roadside parking,” he said.

The residents also complain of traffic jams near the bus stand on the road leading to the Chari area.

They allege vehicles are parked along the road in front of the bus stand. Besides, private operators park buses outside the bus stand to ferry passengers. This leads to traffic jams outside the bus stand. Though a traffic cop is generally stationed at the main crossing, he seems to be helpless against the private bus operators, the residents allege.

Rakesh Chaudhary, another resident of the area, blames parking of private Volvo buses on the Kotwali market bypass road for the chaos. He said many Volvo buses were parked along both sides of road on the Kotwali market bypass road, adding to snarl-ups. “The buses parked here hinder the view of vehicles from behind the sharp curves. This can lead to to accidents,” he added.

The residents of Old Chari road complain against poor water supply, which worsens during summers. They alleged they get water supply for just one hour a day which was not enough to meet their daily need.