PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Haridwar
Sunday saw the fourth day of traffic congestion in Haridwar city due to factors including the Char Dham Yatra, summer vacations and the weekend. The pilgrimage, summer vacations and the weekend brought good business for many in various trades but also resulted in major traffic congestion causing inconvenience to both the visitors and the local residents. People found it difficult to traverse the main roads and even the bylanes in Haridwar and Kankhal due to the rush of visitors.
The Ganga Dussehra was observed on June 5 and a large number of people arrived here to bathe in the Ganga and offer prayers. The occasion of Nirjala Ekadashi on the next day also attracted a large number of people. This was followed by Saturday-Sunday which also saw a large number of people either arriving or departing to their destinations. Along with those arriving here for religious purposes or passing through towards the Char Dham shrine, a large number of tourists are also either visiting Haridwar or passing through with the summer vacations currently underway. The thousands of visitors in as many vehicles led to the near collapse of the traffic system in the city.
Locals point out that there is traffic congestion on the highway and in the city too. However, the authorities have not been able to put a concrete plan in action to resolve the problem of traffic congestion. Such is the crowd of vehicles that vacant parking spaces are difficult to find. As a result, some people end up parking improperly wherever they find a spot, which in turn affects the flow of traffic. The police issued challans to people who had parked wrongly in various locations. Despite such efforts, areas including Bhimgauda, railway station and Shivmurti Chowk suffered from considerable congestion.
The traffic congestion witnessed in the city during this four-day period also disrupted the routine life of the local residents. The authorities appeared ineffective in managing the large number of arrivals. Locals point out that large crowds are expected every year during the summer but the traffic management still remains questionable.
The Haridwar superintendent of police (Traffic) SP Baluni said that the traffic entering Haridwar is about 10 times more than the city’s capacity and what was expected. “When the traffic gets packed in Rishikesh and Tehri, we follow instructions and divert the traffic accordingly so that it reaches Haridwar an hour late. Despite such a considerable load of traffic, we have managed to slowly clear it,” he said.
