Traffic chaos on Shimla highway irks motorists

Ambika Sharma

Solan, June 26

Tourists travelling on the Parwanoo-Shimla stretch of National Highway-5 had a harrowing time as vehicles moved at a snail’s pace. More than 1,500 tourist vehicles entered the state from Parwanoo yesterday. Traffic chaos was particularly bad from Kiarighat to Solan.

It took at least 15 to 20 minutes while covering one-km distance. The situation was equally pathetic on various stretches like Parwanoo-Dharampur, Dharampur-Solan, Solan-Kandaghat and further ahead up to Kiarighat.

“I started from Parwanoo around 3:45 pm but reached Solan, covering a distance of about 30 km, at around 7:30 pm,” said Atul, a tourist from Delhi, who was travelling with his family.

With a large chunk of policemen having been deputed for the state-level Shoolini fair at Solan, there appears to be a shortage of policemen to regulate traffic on the highway.

Solan SP Virender Sharma said, “Traffic from Kiarighat on the NH-5 was channelled through a single-lane due to the fallen debris and boulders after heavy rainfall lashed the area last night. What added to the chaos were the motorists, who tried to jump the queue.”