Dharamsala Ward Watch - Sidhpur: Water shortage, traffic jams irk locals

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, April 23

From traffic congestion to the lack of parking space to water shortage, residents of Sidhpur, Ward 16 of the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation (MC), are facing a host of civic problems.

Some residents have also written to the MC Commissioner regarding alleged ruckus caused by some contractual employees of the MC. Jyoti Mathur, a resident of Sidhpur ward, alleged that some contractual sanitation employees created ruckus in their neighbourhood almost every day after getting drunk.

“I have complained to the Dharamsala MC Commissioner about the issue. The local member of MC has also written to the Commissioner. However, till date no action has been taken.”

She alleged that drug addicts also use public places in the ward for taking intoxicants. Residents have complained to the police and MC officials, but to avail, Mathur alleged.

Sandeep Parmar, another resident of the area, said many areas of Sidhpur were not getting half-an-hour of water supply a day. Most people have installed their own handpumps to meet their daily requirement, he added.

Pradeep Sharma, another resident of the area, said roadside parking in some areas was causing permanent traffic bottlenecks. “Private taxis and buses ferrying children from a nearby private school are parked on roadside. These taxis generally occupy half of the road, leading to traffic jam on Moley road in the ward,” he alleged.

The ward residents said over the past few years many commercial complexes had come up on main road passing through Sidhpur. Building owners who are running shopping malls have not kept any provision for parking, they lamented. It is alleged that the owners have converted parking lots into storage areas. People coming to shopping malls park their vehicles on roadside, leading to congestion on the road. Traffic jams have become a routine during morning and evening rush hours, the residents lamented.

They also complained of the lack of sewerage and streetlights in many areas of Sidhpur ward.