Mohkampur railway crossing located between Derhadun and Haridwar on the National Highway was notorious for the motorists earlier with the cabin crew downing the gate much earlier, resulting in mile-long traffic block on either side of the crossing. However, now, both the motorists and the passers-by are facing ordeal on the same stretch because of the apathy on the part of the National Highway Authority of India. The executive agency, engaged in constructing a flyover, having expedited the work related to construction of pillars are occupying the middle of the road from both the sides, up and down, without providing for the proper transit route for the motorists.
Over the last few days, the agency has expanded the sphere of their construction work while encroaching the Dehradun – Haridwar road near the railway crossing. However, before embarking on the venture, they have not cared to complete the service lane. Resultantly, the vehicles, especially the heavy vehicles like trucks, are getting frequently stuck with the hapless motorists bearing the brunt, left with no option but to put up with the recurring ordeal.
Even the way the officials are removing the newly- built structures makes it clear that either the plan they are working on is a faulty one or those who are executing it are ill –trained.
The commuters say that it is inconceivable that the executing officials have not foreseen the predicament of the motorists being left with no option but to follow a single lane with the under-construction service lanes making a mess of things.
Even the traders running small shops that sell groceries and tyres aside from the eating joints are in a dire plight with the prospective customers refusing to stop for the fear of eating the flying dust. Talking to The Pioneer, Irshad, who runs tyre repairing shop, says that he has been breathing dust day after day while sitting on the road side. “I sit here, hoping for a customer to drop. But they seldom come, given the fear of breathing dust,” he adds despairingly.
Things are indeed miserable when viewed against the backdrop of the state government inviting people to visit Uttarakhand. Haridwar being an important place of the religious tourism circuit, the pathetic plight of the stretch must dissuade them from coming again in case they negotiate the ordeal once.
Many say that their eating dust day after day might result in their repertory trouble in the coming days. “Those in the four-wheelers can escape the dusty ordeal as they have option to close the windows. But those riding two-wheelers and the pedestrians are perforce gulping the dust,” said one of the sufferers.
Things are such that the police officials, engaged in ensuring smooth flow of the VIP traffic, are facing the collective wrath of the wretched sufferers.