Mechanics displaced for road-widening work struggle to make both ends meet

Ambika Sharma

Solan, May 28

Mechanics displaced from the Chambaghat-based motor market in the city five years ago owing to the widening work of the highway are struggling to make both ends meet.

About 70 to 80 shops were demolished for the widening of the highway. However, the proposed transport nagar at Kather to rehabilitate them has not come up since 2018.

Dheeraj Sood, who heads Maa Durga Motor Market Association, says, “As no space was available along the national highway, motor repair shops were scattered at various places like Deoghat, Shamti, Basal, Rabon, Ghatti, etc. The non-availability of all services at one place has not only caused inconvenience to customers but also hit their income as people prefer to get their vehicles serviced from Chandigarh, Barog or Shimla.”

Besides a drastic decrease in revenue, the shop owners are faced with issues like a lack of space and a high rent of Rs 10,000 for 250 sq feet area. Some of them have shifted to other places repeatedly in the past five years. As a result, they are now hiring limited manpower,” he adds.

A number of motor mechanics have diversified to other jobs like driving as the availability of work has declined drastically. “A mechanic who earned between Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000 per month is barely able to earn Rs 10,000 or Rs 12,000 per month as scattered shops offer little work,” says Sood.

A delegation of the local Beopar Mandal has urged local MLA and Labour and Employment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil to address the issue and develop a transport nagar.

Mandal president Mukesh Gupta says, “Motor mechanics displaced from Chambaghat are facing a lot of hardships in earning a living. Lack of parking facilities at some new places has made it even more difficult to operate motor repair shops.”

Transport nagar hangs fire

• A transport nagar is proposed to be built on 15,417 sq m area at Kather along the national highway
• Former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur laid its foundation stone in April 2018
• The proposed transport nagar will have 135 showrooms and 140 workshops
• However, the project was transferred from one department to the other
• The architect of the project who prepared its report is yet to be paid