Residents of Solan continue to face severe inconvenience as temporary stalls erected along the busy Rajgarh Road during the three-day Shoolini Fair remain in place, even three days after the event concluded, with the Solan Municipal Corporation (MC) yet to remove them.
The stalls occupy a significant portion of the carriageway, hampering the smooth flow of traffic on both Rajgarh Road and the Mall Road. Motorists are spending considerable time negotiating congestion while trying to reach key facilities, including the Regional Hospital and private diagnostic laboratories.
Traffic chaos on key arterial road
Rajgarh Road connects Solan with the adjoining district of Sirmaur and is used daily by commuters travelling from Rajgarh, Oachghat, Narag and nearby areas. Several inter-district buses also ply along the route throughout the day.
Residents allege that, despite the disruption caused over the past few days, the civic authorities have failed to act, allowing the stalls to continue operating and worsening traffic congestion.
"Though the state government upgraded the status of the Shoolini Fair to a national-level event, apart from permitting the swings to operate at the Thodo Ground for 10 days, no religious or cultural activity was taking place in the city. Even the decorative lights installed during the fair from June 26 to 28 were removed after three days, and allowing these stalls to continue selling goods from the main roads served no purpose," rued trader Mukesh Gupta.
Local traders demand action
The local business community has also expressed resentment, alleging that the stall owners are selling goods without paying taxes while adversely affecting the business of established traders.
"There was no rationale in allowing these stalls to continue operating from the main roads three days after the fair had concluded," said Kushal Jethi, a representative of the Beopar Mandal. "Though the traders had demanded either the removal of the stalls from the main roads or their relocation to the Thodo Ground, the administration failed to do the needful, causing immense hardship to the public," he added.
The traders further alleged that the civic body had deliberately allowed the stalls to continue operating. Although a few stalls were removed from the Mall Road during a drive carried out yesterday, the majority remained in place on Thursday, they said.
Public hardship and emergency access concerns
"I had to spend 40 minutes travelling from the Mall Road to the Regional Hospital as traffic was repeatedly brought to a halt and vehicles moved at a snail's pace," rued Ajay Kumar, who was taking a relative to the hospital for a medical check-up.
The stalls, set up on both sides of Rajgarh Road, have also obstructed pedestrian movement at several locations.
Apart from several private hospitals, Rajgarh Road also houses emergency services, including the fire station, raising concerns over unhindered access during emergencies.
Call to shift fair venue
With large crowds descending on Solan during the fair every year, residents have also renewed their demand for the cultural festivities to be shifted to the Police Ground on the outskirts of the town. During the three-day fair, the administration restricts the entry of vehicles into the city, forcing elderly people, children and patients to walk several kilometres to reach their destinations, they said.
