To decongest the Garkhal junction on the Dharampur-Kasauli road, the SDM of Kasauli, Mahender Pratap Singh, has restricted the movement of heavy vehicles going towards the cantonment town on weekends.
Several trucks, tippers and earth excavation machines, besides other heavy vehicles create traffic chaos at the Garkhal junction, where five roads converge, making travelling on this road a driver's dilemma.
The Garkhal junction has become a notorious bottleneck, as besides commercial vehicles even super deluxe buses struggle to navigate the narrow curve from the Sanawar road. This recurring issue leads to severe traffic jams, disrupting the lives of local residents and causing inconvenience to tourists.
The industrial traffic from the Baddi area adds to the traffic rush. Multi-axle trucks carrying materials like iron, steel and quarry materials also converge on the Garkhal junction. Many heavy vehicles use the Patta Mehlog-Band-Tickethatti route to avoid excise barriers but struggle to negotiate the junction. These vehicles often travel up to Kimmughat, 2 km away, before finding space to turn back, further complicating the traffic flow.
Local residents are frustrated over frequent traffic disruptions. Incessant honking and long delays caused by traffic jams have become a daily nuisance. It has become difficult to even walk along the road to purchase emergency articles like medicines.
As the peak tourist season is going on, traffic volume rises exponentially at weekends. It has been observed that slow-moving bulky commercial vehicles create traffic congestion and cause inconvenience to people while also posing a threat to public safety.
"In view of the potential threat to public safety and the need for traffic regulation, all heavy vehicles have been prohibited to ply on the Garkhal-Kasauli route on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. However, these vehicles can ply on the route from 9 pm to 7 am on these days," said the SDM, Kasauli.
The police have been directed to strictly enforce this regulation while permitting emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire engines, besides those catering to essential services.
A partial relaxation, however, was granted on Thursday evening for the movement of small mini-tippers (up to 200 feet) to facilitate local construction activities up to 7 am to 10 am at weekends.
The SDM said the relaxation had been granted to address genuine local requirements, as highlighted by the residents and the Tipper Union, Kasauli, for commercial transportation.
The restrictions enforced since April 6 has provided a visible relief to motorists as well as policemen while commercial vehicles are using arterial routes during the restrictive hours.