Motor market on anvil in Shimla suburbs

Bhanu P Lohumi

Shimla, July 3

Transport nagar is on the anvil at Totu in the suburbs of Shimla to decongest the city and provide better auto services at one place.

The transport nagar, housing the motor market, will come up on around 21 bighas of land at Badheri between Totu and Jubbarhatti and the Mishthai panchayat has given a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the project.

700 trees to face axe

• About 650-700 trees have to be axed, some of which are dried
• The NOC has been given on the condition that compensatory forestry will be done in six months
• Natural resources will not be disturbed
• Preference will be given to unemployed youth in jobs

The NOC has been obtained and the case has been sent for clearance under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA), said Regional Transport Authority, Shimla, Manjeet Sharma. The project is being executed by the RTA.

About 650-700 trees have to be axed in the land, some of which are dried. The NOC has been given on the condition that compensatory forestry will be done in six months to cover up the loss of green cover. Further, natural resources will not be disturbed and the rights of the villagers will not be tampered with, besides preference be given to the unemployed youth in jobs as per their skills.

Relief for locals

It will be a big relief for motor service providers and the locals. Moreover, it will also pave the way for beautification of the entry point of Shimla under the smart city project. —Sources, transport department

The motor market will come up under one roof on the pattern of Manimajra in Chandigarh and 145 shops be shifted from Kachi Ghati and the adjoining area to the motor market, said president of the Ghoda Chowki–Kachi Ghati Veopar Mandal Malkiat Singh, who gave the proposal of shifting of the motor market to the government in 2020 following which the land was identified.

The shifting of shops will decongest the entry point of the capital and reduce traffic jams, said general secretary of the veopar mandal Madan Sharma, adding that it would also reduce the threat to mechanics working on the road.

The Shimla City Traffic Regulation and Management Plan (SITRAM) prepared by the Shimla police in February 2020, suggesting short and long-term remedies to decongest the town, had also pointed out that mechanics’ shops all over the city had very little space and caused huge traffic jams and need to be shifted outside the city.

At present, all workshops are located on the congested roads at several places, including Kachi Ghati, Sanjauli-Dhalli, Shimla bypass and several other places, mostly without parking facility.

The idea is to shift the workshops under one umbrella, said sources in the Transport Department. It will be a big relief for motor service providers and the locals. Moreover, it will also pave the way for beautification of the entry point of Shimla under the smart city project.