Narrow roads to Kasauli give hard time to motorists

Ambika Sharma

Solan, June 16

The expansion of roads leading to Kasauli has failed to keep pace with the expansion of tourism activities in the area as vehicle can be seen moving at a slow pace on the narrow single-lane roads.

Increased traffic on weekends

• Around 1,000 vehicles enter Kasauli on weekends as against about 350-500 vehicles on weekdays
• Roads are very narrow at some places with hardly enough space for even two vehicles to cross comfortably
• Pedestrians walking on narrow roads leading to Kasauli also run the risk of being hit by vehicles.

Pedestrians walking on these narrow roads leading to Kasauli also run the risk of being hit by vehicles as there is little space to even walk when the vehicular influx peaks.

Being a favourite haunt for tourists from Tricity, this cantonment town is reachable from the Kalka-Shimla national highway through various single-lane roads, Dharampur-Garkhal-Kasauli, Dharampur-Sanawar-Kasauli, Parwanoo-Jangeshu and Chakki Mor-Kimmughat. They converge on the Garkhal junction where five roads meet. Roads are very narrow at some places with hardly enough any space for even two vehicles to cross comfortably.

Around 1,000 vehicles enter Kasauli on weekends as against about 350-500 vehicles on weekdays, according to figures obtained from the cantonment board staff.

To add to people’s woes, the junction is used by multi-axle trucks coming from the industrial area as an escape route to avoid payment of taxes. Such vehicles add to the traffic chaos. Even ambulances can be seen stuck in traffic jams.

Residents said no authority had ever bothered to address their problems. “The movement of trucks through the Garkhal junction can be curtailed as it is not an industrial corridor. Trucks can be routed through other arterial roads, but neither the police nor the administration has bothered to address the problem,” lamented Ankit, another resident.

Though some steps have been initiated by the PWD, more needs to be done to ensure smooth flow of traffic along the entire stretch.

“Work to construct a flyover over this junction is slated to begin soon. The Rs 22-crore project was at the tendering stage and Rs 14 crore has already been provided to the corporation. Once awarded, it is supposed to be completed in a year,” said Ranjan Gupta, Executive Engineer, PWD, Kasauli.

A Rs 30-crore proposal has been made for improving the two roads connecting Kasauli from Dharampur, while efforts are afoot to work out other proposals to decongest the roads. Limited funds are available to repair the existing roads annually. About 33-km road stretch would be repaired this year.

Kasauli Residents and Hoteliers Association vice-president Rocky Chimni said despite paying taxes worth crores, roads were not being maintained properly.