Heaps of scrap, idle parking: Hamirpur bypass a nightmare for commuters

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Dinesh Kanwar

Hamirpur, February 11

Scrap littered on the sides of the National Highway bypass and the idle parking of vehicles have turned this stretch of the road into a deathtrap that has already claimed at least four lives. A number of accidents have left many others maimed in the last few years.

BOON TURNS BANE

• The 5-km stretch was constructed during the BJP regime in 2011 to reduce traffic congestion in the town and provide better maneuverability to motorists wanting to cross the town without being stuck in traffic snarls
• Instead of being a boon, the road turned a bane due to the heaps of scraps and haphazard parking of vehicles along this highway
• After a person was killed near a school on this highway recently, the then Superintendent of Police Akriti Sharma had directed the traffic police to keep vigil on parking of vehicles along the road and instruct scrap dealers to remove their materials from the roadside

This 5-km stretch was constructed during the BJP regime in 2011 in a bid to reduce traffic congestion in the town and provide ease of travel to motorists wanting to pass through the town without being stuck in traffic snarls. But instead of being a boon, the road turned a bane due to the heaps of scrap and haphazard parking of vehicles along this stretch.

After one person was killed near a school on this highway recently, then Superintendent of Police Akriti Sharma had directed the traffic police to keep a vigil on parking of vehicles along the road and direct scrap dealers to remove it from the roadside.

It appears that the directions of police officers are rarely adhered to as many vehicles are regularly being parked even at blind turns on the road. The Public Works division of National Highway has also turned a blind eye to the issue. Even a CCTV camera installed at this stretch hasn’t been a deterrent for drivers who fancy themselves as speed demons. The situation turns much more dangerous when schools open or close as the children must cross this road when the volume of traffic is higher.

SP Padam Chand said the road would be cleared of all debris, scrap and the issue of idle parking would also be looked into.

He said the traffic police would be pressed into action to keep a vigil on the road.