Amritsar: Road repairs near Durgiana temple affect vehicular traffic

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, October 22

Repair and reconstruction work on roads around the Durgiana temple coinciding with Navratri festival has been causing inconvenience to the commuters and devotees alike.

The road on the stretch from Lohgarh Gate to Hathi Gate and further up to Bijli Ghar Chowk has been dug up for repair work. It not only slows down traffic but also creates obstructions for motorists on the route who take a long time to commute on the road. Notably, traffic increases manifold on the stretch during the Navratra festival as devotees visit the Durgiana temple during this period.

Bhawna Galhotra, a mother whose ward was dressed up as langur (monkey) for the festival, said they commuted at different times on the road but it was fraught with risks and congestion. Debris of various sizes is strewn on the road resulting in risks not only for pedestrians but also for vehicles.

Vikas Kumar, a shopkeeper, said the authorities concerned failed to plan the reconstruction of roads at the right time. “When all of them are aware of the fact that the Mela draws a huge crowd, they could have either preponed or postponed the Mela.” It would have avoided trouble for both the residents and authorities.

Lakshmi Kanta Chawla, president of Durgiana temple, said the Langur Mela is famous throughout North India. Thousands of people from other cities also come to take part in the fair. Yet the Municipal Corporation and the district administration have failed to plan the development work. It seemed that these two government agencies were not aware of the Mela.

Roads around the temple have been dug up for laying drain pipes. Ideally, civil work for the underground project should be started after Dasehra.