Traffic increasing, Palampur parking project hangs fire

Our Correspondent
Palampur, July 19

There has been manifold increase in number of vehicles in the town, but no efforts have been made to widen roads. During peak hours, many parts of the town witness traffic jams. The situation on the Baijnath road near new flyover is particularly bad.

Over 3,000 vehicles are added to the town every year, but the width of most of the roads has remained the same as it was 30 years ago. The parking space is getting squeezed day by day. At present, there is a provision for parking of only 50 vehicles in the area earmarked by the municipal council, Palampur.

The multi-storeyed parking project announced by the then government has been hanging fire for the past 10 years. Despite the budget allocation, no headway has been made because of lukewarm attitude of the officials concerned. The foundation stone for this parking project was laid twice in past 10 years, first by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and then by Virbhadra Singh.

During the weekend, a large number of tourists visit Palampur, Baijnath and Gopalpur. No spaces have been notified for parking in these towns, adding to the woes of motorists.

Palampur DSP Amit Sharma says the administration is concerned with the situation but idle parking on the road has made the matter worse resulting in frequent traffic jams.