Incomplete railway overbridge delays 4-lane connectivity to Bilaspur AIIMS

Dinesh Kanwar

Hamirpur, May 18

An incomplete railway overbridge (ROB) has once again delayed the four-lane connectivity to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Kothipura in Bilaspur district.

Pertinently, due to the delay in the completion of the ROB, vehicles coming from Mandi, Kullu, Hamirpur, Kangra and the Dharmasala side can’t go directly to Nauni Chowk to proceed for the AIIMS or Shimla. Instead, the vehicles have to take another diversion of 5 km to reach Nauni Chowk until this ROB is completed.

Once constructed, the ROB will reduce distance between Hamirpur and Shimla by 20 km and travel time by 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, the NHAI authorities have started the installation of CCTV cameras after every km on the Kiratpur-Nerchowk four-lane highway. This will not only check traffic violations, but also keep an eye on unwanted and criminal activities. The NHAI has placed a number of signboards mentioning the speed limit on the highway. Now, vehicles moving faster than the given speet limit (40 to 60 kmph) will face penalties under the Motor Vehicles Act.

As per the new traffic rules, the penalty for overspeeding in a light motor vehicle is

Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000. Meanwhile, the fine is Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,000 and impounding of the driving licence for subsequent offence when driving a medium passenger or goods vehicle.

Varun Chery, four-lane project head, said the construction of the ROB on the tunnel number 16 would be completed in a month and the connectivity would be restored thereafter. “This ROB is an addition as it was not included in the earlier detailed project report. The finishing work of the Kiratpur-Nerchowk section will also be completed in a month’s time,” he added.