Road projects in upper Dharamsala await completion for past 5 years

Tribune News Service

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, October 5

Incomplete road projects in the upper Dharamsala areas that include McLeodganj, Bhagsunag, Naddi and Dharamkot, have been lingering for more than five years.

The localities are the epicenter of tourism in the area. The tourist season has begun but huge traffic jams, which can extend for hours, are being witnessed here. Every year, tourists coming to McLeodganj feel dejected due to jams, however, neither the government, nor the local authorities have taken any steps to improve the infrastructure, says Rahul Kumar, a hotelier, from Dharamsala.

Locals and hoteliers allege that many roads have been awaiting completion for five years. These are the road connecting Bhagsunag with Indrunag, the road proposed to connect Dharamkot with Naddi and the one connecting Bhagsunag with Jogibara.

The work for connecting Bhagsunag with the Indrunag hill that was started during the stint of the previous Congress government is stuck as a small patch of the land belongs to an individual. The administration has failed to find a solution to the problem.

Ashwani Bamba, president of the Hotel Association of Upper Dharamsala, has said the upper area gets good influx of tourists. Every year they get stranded in traffic jams for hours and face hassles. The successive governments could not develop basic infrastructure.

Bamba said the iconic McLeodganj square, which opens to seven roads, cannot even take the load of 10 vehicles. There is only one small road leading to the famous Bhagsu temple. There is hardly a parking space for 50 cars at Bhagsunag. During weekends, more than 1,000 cars reach upper Dharamsala, resulting in traffic jams.

He further says that there was a proposal to link Bhagsunag road via Dushalani to the Kamru mod, bypassing McLeodganj. This could have eased traffic and all tourists from and to Bhagsu could have used that road.

“We have been informed by the Mayor that almost all roads are complete except a patch of 40-50 metres on one road, where there is some encroachment. Other alternative is the diversion of some forestland for the construction of the road. We have been informed that about Rs 1.87 crore was transferred to the PWD to complete that road, but due to the hindrance, work has not been started,” he said.

Onkar Nehria, Mayor of the Dharamsala MC, said the work on all road projects would start soon. Kangra DC Nipun Jindal said the directions had been issued to the departments concerned to complete the works at the earliest.

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