Rising traffic congestion in Palampur has become a major cause of concern, creating serious difficulties for students, commuters and tourists. Roads across the town remain overcrowded for long hours each day, leaving little space for pedestrians, while and increasing safety risks.
Senior citizens are among the worst affected. Around a dozen elderly persons have reportedly suffered serious injuries in the past six months after being hit by speeding two-wheelers on narrow roads.
The situation has worsened due to haphazard parking at several key locations, including Ghuggar, Plaza Market, SSB Chowk, Kali Bari Mandir and areas opposite Rotary Bhavan. Accident-prone stretches such as Ghuggar, opposite Rotary Bhavan, near Sheetla Mata Mandir and opposite Major Sudhir Walia’s statue witness mishaps almost every day.
Maranda Market has also emerged as a major congestion point where traffic jams have become a routine affair.
The narrow Pathankot-Mandi highway passing through the area remains choked daily because of the heavy flow of vehicles. Illegal parking near Rotary Eye Hospital further adds to the problem.
A local resident Gopal Sood said despite repeated complaints to the police, no effective steps had been taken to remove vehicles parked on the highway. He said traffic congestion had adversely affected local businesses, besides causing inconvenience to the general public.
Despite a sharp increase in the number of vehicles, the width of roads has remained almost unchanged for nearly three decades. Residents say no concrete measures have been taken either to widen roads or reduce congestion.
As a result, traffic bottlenecks continue to worsen. On an average, more than 3,000 vehicles are being added to the town every month.
A senior police officer said although several traffic constables had been deployed in different parts of the town, traffic jams remained difficult to control.
Illegal parking on internal roads as well as on the highway was one of the main reasons behind the problem, he said. The police had imposed fines on violators many times, but the issue persisted, he said.
Adding to difficulties, more than two dozen banks in the town do not have proper parking facilities. This forces customers, especially senior citizens and pensioners, to park vehicles on roadsides and often face fines from the traffic police.
The worsening traffic situation calls for urgent intervention, including road widening, creation of proper parking facilities and strict enforcement of the traffic rules.
Without timely action, congestion and accidents are likely to rise further, affecting both residents and visitors.
