Traffic jam at Kalu Di Hatti irks commuters

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, July 16

Daily traffic jams on the Pathankot-Mandi highway near Kalu Di Hatti have caused inconvenience to commuters.

Long queues of vehicles can be seen near a bridge under-construction on Mol Khud. The stretch is full of potholes and the mounds of muck on the road have also shrunk it to just three metres.

After the beginning of the rainy season, the situation has gone from bad to worse. Vehicles are regularly trapped and damaged due to potholes. There is none to repair the road or keep it traffic worthy.

The Executive Engineer, National Highways Division, Joginder Nagar, said the road had been transferred to the NHAI six months ago from the state PWD and the department had no administrative control on the road. Now it was the responsibility of the NHAI to maintain the road. He said the funds for the maintenance of the road had also been discontinued.

However, the Project Director of the NHAI refuted the claim of the Executive Engineer and said only part of the road had been handed over to the NHAI. He said the NHAI had no manpower. He said as far as the allocation fund for the maintenance was concerned, the NHAI was ready to release it.