Traffic, fatal crashes renew demand to widen Kangra–Mubarikpur highway

The Kangra–Mubarikpur national highway, which links Kangra and Chamba districts with Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Hoshiarpur, requires widening due to heavy traffic and a rising number of accidents. Over 50 people have lost their lives on the route over the past five years, as the narrow road winds through zig-zag mountain terrain. The stretch remains prone to accidents; recently, a dozen pilgrims from Punjab travelling to the Jwalamukhi temple were killed near Dhaliara when their tempo plunged into a deep gorge.

During the tourist season, thousands of vehicles use the highway daily, but the winding, constricted road causes significant inconvenience to commuters. Despite traffic increasing manifold over the last three decades, the width of the highway has remained unchanged and no substantial widening work has been undertaken.

The highway is also used by pilgrims visiting the Chintpurni, Jwalamukhi, Kangra, Chamunda and Baglamukhi shrines. During the Navratri fair, traffic jams often last for hours, adding to public hardship.

Although the state government has improved the condition of the road between Ranital and Mubarikpur, it has yet to be four-laned. Traffic bottlenecks persist at Dehra Gopipur, Bharwain, Mubarakpur and Ranital, while the Dehra Gopipur–Mubarikpur stretch has become an accident-prone zone.

A senior officer said the highway is maintained by the NH wing of the Public Works Department. Considering the high traffic load, a proposal has been submitted to the government requesting that it be forwarded to the NHAI for widening the road up to Amb via Mubarikpur.