Traffic plan for Kullu Dasehra trade fair leaves commuters stranded for hours

The ongoing Dasehra trade fair in Kullu, known for drawing massive crowds each year, has turned daily commuting into an ordeal for local residents. The traffic diversion plan has reportedly led to severe congestion, especially across Dhalpur, leaving residents fuming over long delays and poor management.

Long queues of vehicles from Central Bank to Gandhi Nagar are forcing commuters to crawl through the town for hours.

Rajeev, a resident, shared his frustration saying it took him nearly two hours to reach the hospital with his ailing elderly mother. “What used to be a 10-minute drive has become a nightmare,” he added. Another commuter, a bank employee, said that his regular 15-minute journey from Akhara to Gandhi Nagar now took nearly two hours.

Despite the administration’s efforts to manage the fair-time traffic, including diverting local buses to and from the Cattle Ground in Dhalpur, the situation remains grim. The Circular Road and the Hospital Road remain choked with vehicles, while the main highway remains closed for the fair.

In April, the district administration had sought public feedback to a proposed traffic and Mall Road development plan for Dhalpur. The plan included one-way traffic from 6 pm to 9 pm, closure of the Mall Road stretch for an evening market, and designated paid parking zones along the Hospital Road.

However, residents now argue that if such measures were to be implemented permanently, chaos would increase manifold. “If this is how the temporary plan works, the permanent one will only worsen the situation,” a local shopkeeper rues.

Many residents point out the lack of adequate parking slots near important state offices such as the courts, Mini-Secretariat, hospitals and schools. They say that while earlier the highway was closed for just a week during the fair, it was now shut for over a month, creating prolonged hardships.

Members of the press, too, have voiced their concerns. Journalists have long requested designated parking near the Press Bhawan, but their appeals remain unheeded. One senior correspondent shared that he had received 16 challans for parking near his office and the hospital, both areas have no official parking spaces.

The steep and allegedly arbitrary hike in parking fees at municipal lots has added to the frustration. These parking lots are operated without displaying the approved rate lists. Residents and commuters alike have urged the administration to revise the current traffic plan and develop a more practical approach to manage festival-related congestion without crippling the town’s daily life.

Himachal Tribune