To streamline traffic movement, damaged patch to be repaired
Avtar Bhat
KATHUA, Jan 11: To make the travel easy and streamline movement of traffic on Jammu- Pathankot Highway, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is going to construct a new Toll Plaza at Lakhanpur by demolishing the existing one.
According to sources in NHAI, the organisation has submitted a proposal to its head office in Delhi in this regard and after its approval the work will be started. The new Toll Plaza will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 25 crore tentatively, they added.
Sources said that construction of new Toll Plaza at Lakhanpur has become necessary to give a facelift to the town which is the gateway of J&K so that it becomes an attractive place for visitors entering J&K from different parts of the country and abroad.
Sources said the NHAI, besides the construction of new Toll Plaza is going to renovate entire patch of National Highway at Lakhanpur which is in dilapidated condition and has become a cause of public nuisance.
The NHAI has also submitted a proposal in this regard to its head office at Delhi and a Detailed Project Report and Estimate has also been framed, sources said.
It may be recalled that there was a huge public outcry over the dilapidated condition of NH at Lakhanpur and Hatli Morh and people of the area were demanding its immediate restoration as these two patches of NH had become accident prone areas. The passengers are having a nightmarish experience while passing through these two areas.
While about one km patch of NH is damaged at Lakhanpur near TP, the waterlogging at Hatli Morh has been a cause of concern for people of the area in general and commuters and transporters in particular.
Admitting that the NH is damaged at Lakhanpur near Toll Plaza, Project Director NHAI, Yash Pal Singh told Excelsior that his organization is in the process of renovating the Highway at Lakhanpur from Custom to Toll Plaza and the present Toll Plaza will also be demolished at Lakhanpur and a new one will be constructed there to give a complete facelift to the town which is the gateway of J&K and NHAI has framed the DPR and estimate for the same, he added.
He said in this regard a DPR has been submitted to Head Office Delhi and soon after its approval the work will be started.
He said regarding the Hatli Morh waterlogging issue, the directives have been issued by him to his staff to take every step that the waterlogging does not take place at this stretch of the Highway and whatever remedial measures are needed will be taken soon in this regard. Regarding parking of vehicles on Service Lane, he said that he will himself look into the problem as no one will be allowed to use NH as his personal property.
Singh said as the National Highway is being widened to six lane and work is going on at different places, all the rectifications where-ever necessary will be done.
People of the area alleged that despite the public outcry, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) have failed to maintain the Highway properly especially at Lakhanpur and Hatli Morh in Kathua district which has developed deep ditches and water cesspools at these two places.
They also alleged that despite charging hefty toll at various places and collecting huge money as revenue, the NHAI doesn’t consider renovation of the Highway its priority to provide succor to thousands of commuters including pilgrims coming to J&K from different parts of country as the NH at Lakhanpur and Hatli Morh has become accident prone area now, said the local residents.
The locals have to face a tough time in the event of the accident on these two stretches of NH. The people took many deputations to NHAI officers and district administration but to no avail as the problem has not been solved despite the fact that Jammu -Pathankot NH is the lifeline of Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
There are potholes and ditches on Highway near about up to one kilometer on truck lane at Lakhanpur and this area has become prone to accidents. Moreover, the dilapidated condition on the Highway on this stretch has also led to dust pollution in the area creating health hazards for the commuters traveling to Jammu or outside the UT especially in this COVID pandemic period, said the local residents and shopkeepers of Lakhanpur.
Even there are big potholes and ditches near Lakhanpur Toll Plaza where trucks halt gave a bad impression to outside travelers about the UT administration, the locals said. They said that no doubt the Highway is being maintained by NHAI but the administration has powers to get it renovated by itself if NHAI failed to do it on their own in the larger interests of the people.
Millions of visitors and pilgrims come to J&K from rest of the country and abroad and what impression they will gather after seeing such a bad condition of NH at the gateway of the UT?” asked one of the hawkers at Lakhanpur.
Moreover, the traffic chaos is witnessed on the National Highway at Hatli Morh where vehicles are parked on Service lane which is on the left side of the Highway while its right side has a deep drain and water of the drain during rainy season flows on NH owing to which vehicles often get trapped in the drain or turn turtle due to lack of visibility on the Highway where drainage water gets often accumulated.
Moreover, turning of the service lane opposite on the left side of Highway at Hatli Morh for parking of vehicles has compounded the problem in this area. Kathua Municipality, Chairman, Naresh Sharma has also taken serious note of the same and during his recent tour to area to ascertain the situation he imposed a penalty of Rs 15,000 on the proprietor of a Service Station for parking the vehicles on Service Lane.
Sharma said it is a grave problem as entire Service Lane on NH is being used as a parking lane while it is for the passenger buses and matadors of local areas entering the Highway. This way the buses and matadors park their vehicles on Highway for boarding and deporting of passengers, he added.
He said the district administration, Traffic Police and NHAI has to take action against the erring vehicle operators who park their vehicles on Service Lane and despite the repeated pleas they failed to act with the result entire Service Lane right from Lakhanpur to Bari Brahmana is used as parking lane by vehicles.
District Development Commissioner, Kathua Rahul Yadav said that he is aware of the issue and the necessary repairs at NH whereever necessary will be undertaken as he has already taken up the matter with NHAI. He however, said the problem at various places will persist due to six lanning of Highway on which work is in progress.
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