Traffic snarls back on Kasauli roads

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, September 29

Traffic snarls were back on the roads leading to the cantonment town of Kasauli as the state’s borders were thrown open on September 17.

The situation is becoming especially precarious at the weekends, when traffic is at its peak and tourists from the neighbouring Punjab and Haryana jostle for space in the swanky cars on the narrow roads. “With a large number of outsiders having constructed their cottages in the area, tourists are seen making a beeline for the hills during the weekends,” informed Ajay Kumar, a local.

Traffic management at Garkhal junction, where five roads converge, has become an arduous task for the police. Roads leading to Dharampur, Kasauli, Jagjitnagar, Sanawar and Mohan Mekin’s Brewary converge at his junction. “Additional force is deputed during the weekends to handle traffic, given a large number of tourists who visit Kasauli and its precincts. With limited scope to ensure smooth passage of vehicle at the Garkhal junction, traffic management is a challenge,” informed SHO Sanjay Rana.

Long queues of vehicles are visible at Garkhal junction at the weekends. The residents have to put up with constant honking through the day. Roads in Kasauli cantonment are also loaded with tourist vehicles as the town once again came alive after a lull of six months.

Meanwhile, little has been done by the administration to chalk out a bypass road to ease traffic chaos at the junction. This was despite the fact that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had directed the state government to work out an alternative to ease traffic congestion.

A ray of hope emerged as the long-awaited Kimmughat-Chakki-Ka-Mor road has been completed. It connects the Parwanoo-Solan highway to Kasauli and bypasses the Garkhal junction. It will, however, take more time to divert traffic to that road from the highway as its last leg had eroded due to improper retaining walls and its repair would take several months.

The presence of tourists was also becoming a matter of concern for the residents as they defy social distancing norms and are often without masks. “A penalty of Rs 48,000 has been collected in the last one week from people not wearing masks. Tourists are the biggest defaulters,” informed Rana.