Even after repeated complaints and incidents of vehicles falling into an open side drain, the Kharar–Landran road continues to witness long traffic snarls, with commuters navigating a stretch that remains dug up, uneven and without any traffic management.
The road serves as a key link connecting Kharar to Landran, Chandigarh, and several residential societies and institutions; consequently, it carries a heavy volume of daily traffic, including school buses and office commuters.
On the nearly 2-km stretch, one side of the carriageway is still under construction, forcing vehicles onto a single usable lane. The remaining stretch, riddled with potholes and uneven surface, slows movement and creates bottlenecks through the day.
While authorities had earlier laid interlocking tiles on a portion of the road near Shivalik City, the relief remains limited to that stretch only. The rest of the road continues to remain broken, with exposed mud and damaged surface affecting movement.
An open drain running along the road remains uncovered at several points and continues to pose a risk to commuters. Residents said vehicles are still falling into it. “Nothing has changed. Vehicles still fall into the drain that have no covers or warning. One vehicle fell into the drain this week only,” said Ranbir, one of the residents.
Commuters said the condition of the road worsens traffic flow as drivers slow down to avoid potholes and navigate the narrow stretch. “We have to wait for vehicles from the other side to pass. There is no system, no one is managing traffic. There is not even a traffic police officer or marshal to navigate the traffic. This feels like a punishment to us,” said Rajesh Kumar, who uses the road daily.
{{/usCountry}}Commuters said the condition of the road worsens traffic flow as drivers slow down to avoid potholes and navigate the narrow stretch. “We have to wait for vehicles from the other side to pass. There is no system, no one is managing traffic. There is not even a traffic police officer or marshal to navigate the traffic. This feels like a punishment to us,” said Rajesh Kumar, who uses the road daily.
{{/usCountry}}Residents alleged that passing vehicles raise dust on the pothole-riddled road, reducing visibility and affecting those living and working along the road. “In monsoon, it was mud. Now it is dust. The problem has not gone away. Even though authorities are carrying out repair work, every work has a deadline. We have been facing this problem since the last monsoon” said Simranjeet Kaur, an IT professional, who travels daily on the route.
Residents and daily commuters have demanded that authorities complete the pending work, repair the damaged stretch, cover the drain and deploy traffic personnel to regulate movement. Meanwhile, SDM Kharar, Gurmeet Singh said, “Tenders have been allotted and we’re trying to get the work done soon. We’ll talk to the authorities to deploy traffic officials for the commuters.”