CHANDIGARH, August 5: Traffic jams at the Parwanoo barrier have become a regular feature with vehicles lined up on either side of the barrier that separates Kalka town in Haryana and Parwanoo in Himachal Pradesh.Conditions here take a turn for the worse during the morning and evening peak traffic hours as there are many people coming to this industrial town of Parwanoo from Kalka and Chandigarh.These traffic jams become more frequent during the apple season when the number of trucks passing though the barrier increases considerably. Most of the trucks have to halt here for hours together to get Excise and Sales Tax clearance.Due to this pedestrians, especially women, have a tough time as they also have to put up with the dirty remarks of idle truck drivers.One of the main reasons for the traffic hold ups in Kalka town (from where all the traffic going towards Shimla passes) is the congested Kalka Bazaar. Both sides of the one Kilometer road running through the Bazaar has been encroached upon by rehriwallas, vegetable sellers and parked vehicles, leaving hardly any space for traffic to move near the Kali Mai Temple.Kalka also lacks a bye-pass which greatly increases the number of heavy vehicles passing through it (there are vehicles carrying heavy machinery for various hydro-electric projects in Himachal Pradesh). And once a heavy vehicle gets stuck in the Kalka Bazaar, the traffic snarl extends right upto the barrier. The problem becomes worse when a large number of parked vehicles narrow the road further.Trucks entering Himachal Pradesh also have to halt here at the barrier for getting clearance (form No. XXVI of Sales Tax), which takes hours together.Almost half of the road remains clogged with a long line of parked trucks (coming from the Shimla side), often extending right upto Shiwalik Hotel for Excise and Sales Tax clearance. The remaining half of the road has to take the load of vehicles going in both directions and it gets really hazardous when vehicles try to overtake each other which often leads to serious accidents. The number of accidents also increases due to the heavy rush of trucks on the road during the apple season.The other check posts including those of the marketing committee, the forest department and the police, also create hindrances in the flow of traffic. As there is no proper parking place at the barrier, truck drivers are forced to park wherever they find a place and sometimes they park the trucks right on the bridge.The police posted here, have a tough time clearing traffic, especially when a VIP has to pass, as the number of policemen posted here are inadequate.A cross-section of people when asked to suggest a solution to the problem, said that during the apple season, a police post could be set up near Timber Trail, where all the trucks could be stopped.There should be proper communication between the personnel at the barrier and the police post near Timber Trial resort and strict traffic rules enforced at the barrier.
