PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Haridwar
Even as the authorities are preparing for the 2017 Ardh Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, the narrow stretch of the road at Chandighat is posing a challenge to the Mela administration. This stretch often suffers from congestion due to heavy traffic from the Nildhara bridge. The locals and authorities were expecting some relief from the traffic after construction of the bridge but the situation has worsened. With a new bridge being constructed near Chandighat on the Najibabad-Haridwar road, heavy traffic from both the bridges will end up in this narrow stretch, which is expected to cause major congestion here in the future.
Observers state that the load of traffic arriving from both the bridges will fall upon the narrow stretch below the Chandighat flyover, causing major congestion. This narrow stretch is infamous for queues of vehicles during the pilgrim season. The widening of the Haridwar-Najibabad road is in its final phase and after its completion, the traffic from Najibabad, Bijnor, Dhamur and Meerut will reach here swiftly. These factors are expected to exacerbate the congestion in this area.
Mela officer Sonika acknowledged that this can pose a major challenge in the future. The traffic load on this stretch is expected to increase in the future. The Mela administration will definitely look for an option to tackle this issue so that the crores of devotees who arrive here during the Kumbh do not face any inconvenience. The authorities are considering the expansion of the narrow stretch of the road, identification of an alternative route and a concrete plan for traffic management before the 2027 Kumbh.
