Bypass to help ease traffic congestion in Dharampur
Ambika Sharma
Solan, March 18
In a bid to decongest the Dharampur market, vehicles going to Subathu will be able to take a detour from Dosarka on the Dharampur-Kumarhatti national highway while bypassing the entire Dharampur village.
The bhumi pujan of the new road was conducted by Kasauli MLA Vinod Sultanpuri at Dosarka last week. He assured to provide funds for the arterial road from the local area development fund. “This bypass was much needed for Dharampur town which perpetually faced the problem of traffic congestion,” he said.
Detour from Dosarka
- The vehicles going to Subathu will be able to take a detour from Dosarka on the Dharampur-Kumarhatti national highway while bypassing the entire Dharampur village.
- This bypass was badly needed as Dharampur town perpetually faced the problem of traffic congestion.
- The demand for the arterial road was necessitated as the narrow Subathu-Dharampur road had become a major traffic bottleneck as it was also used by cement-laden trucks coming from Darlaghat
The demand for the arterial road was necessitated as the single lane narrow Subathu-Dharampur road had become a major traffic bottleneck. Cement-laden trucks coming from Darlaghat often found it difficult to negotiate the Dharampur junction where the Subathu road converged into the highway. Even heavy vehicles of the 14 Gorkha Training Centre, Subathu, had to bear traffic influx. The chowk where the Subathu road converged into the national highway had become a hotspot of accidents as it is very narrow.
“The 3-km-long bypass will meet the Dagroh Bridge at Kotla village on the Subathu- Dharampur road. An enumeration of trees would be undertaken by the Forest Department to lay the new road. Since it would pass through the reserve forest, other clearances would also be required for axing the trees, besides seeking permission from the Northern Railways as the Kalka-Shimla railway track lied at the beginning of this road at Dosarka,” informed Public Works Department Assistant Engineer Puneet.
A 7-m road will be carved out once all clearances are sought while its estimated cost is yet to be worked out. While the process to construct the road was long-drawn in view of the tedious clearances, but the residents were elated that local MLA Vinod Sultanpuri has made an effort to address a long-standing problem.
Residents have welcomed the proposed road as it would help decongest the busy Dharampur market where traffic emerging from the Subathu road has become a cause of concern. “This arterial road was direly required for Dharampur village especially after the four-laning of the highway as volume of traffic has increased manifold. The peak summer months worsens the condition when tourists have to negotiate huge traffic jams to reach hotels lying on the Subathu-Dharampur road,” said Anil Kumar.
