Frequent and prolonged traffic jams on the Pathankot-Mandi National Highway-154 between Bhadwar and Khazian near Nurpur, caused by the ongoing road widening project, have become a daily ordeal for thousands of commuters travelling through the Kangra valley. The worst bottleneck has emerged at Vayees Meel, where the reconstruction of a bridge has narrowed the carriageway, severely disrupting the smooth movement of vehicles. A single kucha road has been created for the movement of vehicles which has become a slippery passage.

Hundreds of tourist vehicles, buses, commercial and private vehicles remain trapped in a massive traffic jam on Sunday evening, leaving commuters stranded for nearly two to three hours. Long queues of vehicles can be seen on both sides of the highway. Rail commuters heading to the Pathankot railway station remain anxious over the possibility of missing trains due to the prolonged jam. Elderly passengers, children and patients face considerable hardships while waiting in the humid weather in their stranded vehicles.

Local residents say that such traffic snarls on this highway stretch have become a regular feature. They blame impatient motorists, particularly those arriving from neighbouring states, for moving vehicles on unauthorised parts of the highway in an attempt to overtake, further narrowing the already congested road stretch and worsening the gridlock.

Passengers travelling in long-distance buses complain of recurring traffic congestion disrupting their travel schedules. Tourists visiting the region also express frustration over poor traffic management, while the movement of emergency vehicles and ambulances ferrying patients to Dr Radhakrishnan Government Medical College at Tanda in Kangra district after their referral from civil hospitals in the lower Kangra region are adversely affected by the congestion.

The local residents allege that despite the recurring chaos on the Bhadwar-Khazian highway stretch, neither the civil administration nor the police have taken adequate measures to regulate traffic during peak hours. Narinder Singh, Arjun, Parmanand, Gurnam Singh, Sant Ram and Vijay Kumar, all residents of Vayees Meel area, have urged the district administration, police and the construction agency engaged by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to deploy traffic personnel at this bottleneck point to ensure smooth vehicular movement. They demand the installation of reflectors and proper diversion signage at the construction site to improve safety and ease navigation, especially during night hours.