Encroachment on Kangra roads leads to traffic chaos

Lalit Mohan

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Dharamsala, August 10

Encroachment on roads by shopkeepers are leading to perennial traffic jams in Kangra town. Despite orders issued by SDMs many times against encroachment on roads and parking of vehicles on roadsides, no action has been taken to prevent the traffic jams.

Most vehicles going to Dharamsala pass through the town. The road leading through the town is narrow, which has been squeezed to half of its width due to encroachment by shopkeepers.

Suresh Chaudhary, a resident, said many banks, located on the roadside, hardly had any parking place. People coming to banks park their vehicles on the roads which often leads to traffic jams.

During the Navratras, there is a huge rush of pilgrims to Bajreshwari Devi Temple. There are hardly any traffic policemen to control traffic. Commuters passing through the town have to face long traffic jams.

Ajay Sharma, another resident of the town, said some officials had tried to control the menace by taking strict measures. However, they were discouraged by local politicians. The district authorities should act in a fair manner while dealing with encroachment and illegal parking of vehicles, he said.

The town has a number of shopping malls. Many of these have not made adequate parking arrangements. In many malls, the area for parking has been converted for some other purposes. The people coming to these malls have no option but to park their vehicles along the roads. There are a few private parking places in the town created by social organisations. These charge from Rs 50 to Rs 100 per vehicle due to which not many people use these.

The government has created a parking lot in the Kangra Secretariat that was open for everyone. However, the place is generally packed with vehicles of people coming to courts and the Secretariat for official work.