Insufficient parking lots at hotels on Dharampur-Kasauli stretch causing traffic jams

Hotels built along the narrow Dharampur-Kasauli road in recent years have little or inadequate parking, which leads to traffic chaos on different stretches.

Around 50 tourism projects were permitted along an 8-km narrow stretch of the road in the past few years. Besides, several kiosks selling tea and snacks have come up along the road. Tourist vehicles are parked along roads. The situation is particularly grim at weekends when the visitor influx is maximum.

The roads leading to Kasauli from the Kalka-Shimla National Highway have not been been widened for decades though traffic has increased manifold. The average occupancy of hotels in the Kasauli planning area is 40 per cent to 65 per cent but still new hotels are coming up on whatever little space is available.

A majority of these tourism projects are being set up after digging steep hill slopes. The debris piled up along the road has further reduced its usable width at certain places. Parapets and culverts have also been adversely affected due to these projects. The movement of heavy machinery has added to the traffic chaos.

The key Dharampur-Kasauli road has never been widened. Facing a scarcity of staff, the police are unable to maintain a regular vigil on the entire stretch even though violators are challaned at busy places like the Garkhal junction, where five roads converge.

Traffic chaos due to roadside parking can be witnessed on the Dharampur-Sanawar road and the Dharampur-Mangoti Mor-Garkhal road. Premlata Chauhan, District Town Planner, Solan, says that a parking space is mandatory for a commercial project and it has to be commensurate with the built-up area of a building. The problem is more pronounced in locations which lie outside the planning areas like the Sanawar-Dharampur road and some part of the Kimmughat-Chakki Mor road, she adds.

Residents are also inconvenienced because of frequent traffic chaos, especially during the peak summer season. “People residing along main roads face traffic jams during exigencies as the vehicles parked along roads cause chaos lasting for hours during peak summer,” says Ravi, a local resident.

Debris piled up along road

• The roads leading to Kasauli from the Kalka-Shimla national highway have not been been widened for decades though vehicular traffic has increased manifold
• The average occupancy of hotels in the Kasauli planning area is 40 per cent to 65 per cent but still new hotels are coming up on whatever little space is available
• A majority of these tourism projects are being set up after digging steep hill slopes and the debris piled up along this road has further reduced its usable width at certain places