Joint Task Force formed to recommend traffic management solutions for Gangtok

GANGTOK, 09 Aug: The capital town of Gangtok has been experiencing some serious issues concerning traffic management. With the Border Roads Organisation engaged in a painstakingly slow black-topping project on the national highway leading up to Gangtok, bottlenecks are being sprung leading to traffic snarls surprising for a hill town. This, coupled with the fact that the highway is the only road in and out of Gangtok with only a few arterial roads, traffic management has become a nightmare especially with whopping increase in the number of vehicles on the road of late.
With such a scenario facing the administration, a Joint Task Force headed by no less than the Chief Secretary himself has been constituted by the State government to take up issues pertaining to vehicular traffic in Gangtok and to recommend measures. The task force, it is informed, has been instituted for the speed redressal of traffic issues concerning Gangtok and surrounding areas.
As informed, the Joint Task Force will receive proposals for improvement of traffic in and around Gangtok from the various agencies involved following which it shall make recommendations, as felt appropriate, to the state government for issue of necessary directions.
In this regard a mechanism is to be evolved to improve inter-departmental coordination between various State and Central Government agencies for efficient traffic management. It will also monitor the progress of the concerned departments and agencies in the timely resolution of issues for the convenience of the general public as well as tourists.
The task force also comprises the DGP, Additional Chief Secretary and Secretaries of Forest, UD&HD, Roads and Bridges, Transport, PHE, and Power Departments. It also includes the DC and SP east district, Chief Engineer, Project Swastik and the Chief Municpal Officer, GMC.