In Nurpur, police are on poll duty and the one-way traffic arrangement is abandoned

Because of the local authorities’ indifference, the one-way traffic restriction that was announced by the Kangra district administration in November of last year and put into effect in Nurpur town on December 1 has been turned into a farce.

Three months after it was first implemented, the traffic strategy, which had been well publicized at first, has all but failed.

Since the Model Code of Conduct went into effect on March 16, breaking traffic laws has become the norm.

As a result of the police officers who were previously stationed at the town’s entrance and departure points being conspicuously absent since the code of conduct went into effect, drivers are becoming less cautious.

The indiscriminate parking of cars on the side of the road has made visitors’ problems worse, particularly during rush hour.

In the town’s crowded and bustling marketplaces, the idle parking causes traffic jams.

On December 5, 2023, the administration, in coordination with the police and Municipal Council (MC), imposed the one-way traffic plan in order to guarantee efficient traffic flow and prevent frequent traffic congestion in the town.

With the authority granted by Section 113 of the Motor Vehicles Act, the Kangra Deputy Commissioner-turned-District Magistrate has sent out a notice on a new traffic plan.

Town of Nurpur.

Per the traffic design, four-wheelers may enter from the Chogan side and could depart at the endpoints of Court Road and Niazpur. Vehicles from the Chogan side could be seen leaving the Housing Board Colony area.

The main market, Chogan market, and Niazpur market had all been designated as no-parking zones under the one-way traffic plan. Parking zones have been announced, including the Mini-Secretariat parking area, the Municipal Council parking in Ward 4, the Housing Board Colony parking, the court complex, the Hanuman temple parking complex, and the Bachat Bhawan areas.

The parking of two-wheelers on the side of the road was prohibited in order to guarantee the smooth operation of four-wheelers.

The local government requested that the MC provide makeshift two-wheeler parking spots in streets or other unoccupied areas so that patrons and store owners may leave their cars there.

The MC hasn’t yet located these spots, therefore the issue of two-wheeler roadside parking still exists.

To enforce the one-way traffic arrangement, the town’s departure points were equipped with two automated barriers, which were built by the local government back in May 2015. The acquisition of the barriers, which were installed with financial support from the Municipal Council (MC), cost more than Rs 1.70 lakh. But for the last five years, the barriers have been collecting dust. Additionally, the traffic-controlling barriers and police canopies have become landfills.

According to law enforcement sources, the staff assigned to monitor the town’s entrance and departure points for the purpose of executing the one-way traffic plan has been moved to pre-election duties.

They are a member of the district’s flying squads and interstate checkpoints after the installation of the poll code. The DSP and ASP for Nurpur were not accessible for remark.