Hours-Long Traffic Jams in Shimla, Vehicles Crawl on Roads; Who Will Pay Attention to Capital’s Traffic Management Amid Chief Minister’s Rohru-Rampur Tour? Asks Pyar Singh Kanwar

Shimla, October 4: BJP State Co-Media In-charge and spokesperson Pyar Singh Kanwar has raised questions over the deteriorating traffic situation in the state capital, alleging that traffic congestion in Shimla is becoming increasingly serious and that the Congress government and administration have failed to ensure smooth movement of vehicles.

Kanwar alleged that Shimla city and the district have effectively been left to fend for themselves, particularly when the administrative machinery is focused on the Chief Minister’s two-day visit to Rohru and Rampur. He said that while the Chief Minister’s tour is an important official engagement, arrangements for VIP movement should not come at the cost of the city’s routine traffic and administrative services. He stressed that normal public services in the capital must continue smoothly even during such visits.

According to Kanwar, heavy traffic congestion was witnessed on Shimla’s Circular Road on Saturday morning. The parking facility near Lift was reportedly full by around 11 a.m., following which long queues of vehicles extended from Lift towards Tolland. Traffic movement was also affected on the stretch between the Vidhan Sabha and Baluganj.

Kanwar said that a large number of tourists have reached Shimla from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, among other places, due to the weekend and holidays. He said the arrival of tourists is positive for the tourism sector, but the administration should have a proper advance plan because an increase in tourist traffic during weekends and holidays is a predictable situation.

“The arrival of tourists in Shimla is good for our tourism business, but an increase in tourist numbers is not an unexpected situation for the administration. Traffic pressure during weekends and holidays is known in advance, and therefore the government and administration should have an advance traffic management plan ready,” Kanwar said.

He further said that traffic was also affected on Friday due to patchwork and tarring work in the Dhalli area. The situation reportedly became such that people took nearly one to one-and-a-half hours to travel from Kufri to Bhatta Kufar. Subsequently, additional police personnel had to be deployed and vehicles were diverted through the Dhalli Bypass.

Kanwar said that traffic jams in Shimla can no longer be treated as an occasional problem. He called for a long-term, practical and comprehensive traffic management plan for major congestion-prone areas, including Sanjauli, Dhalli, Lakkar Bazaar, Victory Tunnel, Baluganj, Tolland, Lift and Circular Road.

He said Shimla is not only the capital of Himachal Pradesh but also an internationally recognised tourist destination. If tourists remain stuck in traffic for hours and local residents take an excessive amount of time to reach their offices, hospitals, schools or homes, it could have an impact on the city’s image as well as its tourism economy.

Kanwar also pointed out that a report on Friday indicated that hotel occupancy in Shimla had reached around 70 percent. He said that this should have given the administration an indication that tourist vehicle movement and traffic pressure could increase further during the weekend.

The BJP leader said the issue was not merely about increasing the number of traffic police personnel. According to him, effective traffic management also requires better traffic planning, efficient parking management, appropriate timing of road works, alternative routes, improved public transport arrangements and better administrative coordination during VIP movements.

Kanwar demanded that the government and district administration should make a special traffic management plan for weekends and the tourism season and ensure that it is effectively implemented. He called for adequate deployment of traffic police at major congestion points and urged the authorities to schedule road repair and tarring works, as far as possible, during periods of relatively low traffic.

He also suggested that when major parking facilities become full, tourists should be provided with timely information about alternative parking locations, so that vehicles do not unnecessarily enter already congested areas.

Kanwar said, “Shimla cannot be left to fend for itself.” He said the Chief Minister and the state government must ensure that routine administrative and public services in the capital continue to function effectively alongside official tours and programmes.

He added that providing smooth traffic movement, efficient public services and organised administration to residents and visitors is the responsibility of the government and the administration, particularly during periods of increased tourist movement.