To tackle influx of tourists, one-way traffic system in upper Dharamsala

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, December 27

With the year-end approaching and administration expecting huge influx of tourists, efforts are being made to tackle the problem of traffic jams in upper Dharamsala areas, including McLeodganj, Bhagsunag and Dharamkot.

Damaged road adds to woes

• Sources said traffic snarls reported in the McLeodganj area of Dharamsala are often due to the damaged Khara Dhanda road
• The road was washed away in a landslide in August this year. But, its repair work was started by the PWD authorities only after December 15

These regions of Dharamsala are prone to traffic jams during peak tourist seasons. Traffic jams are caused due to incomplete road projects in the area and inadequate parking spaces.

Today, a team of officials, led by Kangra DC Nipun Jindal, surveyed various points in the upper Dharamsala region to implement a traffic plan in the region.

The district administration also held meetings with hotel and restaurant associations in this regard. When contacted by The Tribune, DC Jindal said efforts were being made to implement one-way traffic plan in upper Dharamsala areas so that tourists don’t get stuck in jams. The plan would be drafted and implemented in the next two days, he said.

Dharamsala Smart City Hotel and Restaurant Association general secretary Sanjeev Gandhi said they had also given their inputs to the district administration regarding the implementation of the plan. “We have requested the district administration that the timing of Dharamsala rope way should be extended from 4 pm to at least 10 pm,” he said.

The upper Dharamsala areas have limited parking spaces. The main parking at the entrance of McLeodganj that was constructed by the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) is generally occupied by local taxi operators. The capacity of a public parking for tourist vehicles in the McLeodganj area is just 300 vehicles, whereas about 2,000 vehicles enter the area during the peak tourist season. Due to lack of parking spaces, a large number of vehicles can be seen parked on roads, which adds to the traffic woes.

Sources said traffic snarls reported in the McLeodganj area are often due to damaged Khara Dhanda road. The road was washed away in a landslide in August this year. However, its repair work was started by the PWD authorities only after December 15. Due to this, McLeodganj can be accessed only through the main road leading from the Kotwali market.

Even after over five years, an under-construction road leading from Bhagsunag to Indrunag, that would have provided access to McLeodganj, is yet to be completed. Sources said the government had also sought funds from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development for construction of a road.