Traffic jams irk residents of Baijnath, Paprola

Palampur, May 2

Residents of Baijnath and Paprola towns have lodged a protest over regular traffic jams on the narrow Pathankot-Mandi national highway after a private company dug it for laying telecom cables.

They say the dug up road has been causing inconvenience to commuters. They have suggested the construction of a bypass so that the town residents do not face frequent traffic jams.

The agitated residents have urged the government to take back this stretch of the highway from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and hand it over to the state PWD for constructing a bypass from Tashi Jong to the Baijnath railway crossing.

Kishori Lal, local MLA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary, says he had taken up the matter with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. The detailed project report (DPR) of the bypass was being prepared. Once ready, it would be sent to the Union Government for funding. He adds that regular traffic jams on the narrow Pathankot-Mandi highway, one of the busiest roads in the state, have affected their businesses and caused hardships to common people.

“Many a time ambulances, firefighting and police vehicles are stuck in heavy traffic. If a bypass is constructed, it will ease congestion in both the towns,” he says.