In a (traffic) jam: Baijnath, Paprola locals protest frequent snarls on NH

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, June 17

Residents of Baijnath and Paprola towns today lodged a protest over the frequent traffic jams on the stretch of the Pathankot-Mandi National Highway passing through the towns.

‘Bypass needed’

If a bypass is constructed, it will help reduce the burden of traffic in both towns, especially of heavy vehicles, which cause congestion. — Ghanshyam Awasthi, Local businessman

‘Highway property of NHAI’

• A senior officer of the state PWD said the 219-km Pathankot-Mandi NH had been transferred to the NHAI five years ago, and was no more a property of the department.
• As long as the NH was with the NHAI, it was the organisation’s property and the state government had no authority to construct a bypass on it, the official added.

According to the protesters, the authorities concerned had become mute spectators to the traffic jams and their inaction had been adding to the woes of the area residents.

The protesting residents called for the construction of bypasses outside the towns in an effort to help locals avoid the jams.

With the tourist season on its peak, the situation has gone from bad to worse. Daily routines and businesses of area residents have been affected by the traffic snarls.

Talking to The Tribune, some protesters said a three-hour traffic jam occurred at the stretch yesterday. Residents had expected that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) would construct a bypass on the stretch of the NH passing through the town during its upgrade to four lanes, they said.

However, the NHAI had changed the alignment of the highway and now planned to construct a new road, which would not pass through these towns, they added, stating that the plan to construct a bypass road had been shelved. The residents demanded that the NHAI hand over the NH to the state government, which should undertake the construction of a bypass road from the Tashi Jong monastery to the Baijnath railway crossing with its own funds, keeping in view the situation of traffic, which seems to be worsening by the day.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary and Baijnath MLA Kishori Lal admitted that the situation was severe and the NH passing through the towns had become a nuisance for the locals.

He had raised the issue before CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu many times, who had assured early action and asked the Public Works Department (PWD) to submit the detailed project report of the construction to the government, he added.

The Pathankot-Mandi highway is one of the busiest roads of the state, and frequent traffic jams on this road have caused hardships not just for businessmen, but for the common man too.

Ambulances, fire-fighting trucks and police vehicles often get stuck in traffic on this road for long periods of time, causing a great deal of inconvenience to the public.

“If a bypass is constructed, it will help reduce the burden of traffic in both towns, especially of heavy vehicles, which cause congestion,” said local businessman Ghanshyam Awasthi.

A senior officer of the state PWD said the 219-km Pathankot-Mandi NH had been transferred to the NHAI five years ago, and was no more a property of the department.

As long as the highway was with the NHAI, it was the organisation’s property and the state government had no authority to construct a bypass on it, the official added.