The Kalka temple parking crisis continues to disrupt visitors, residents, market users and commuters, with land availability delaying a facility promised by the Haryana government and the Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board. Traffic congestion is particularly severe during Navratri, when thousands of devotees visit Prachin Shree Kali Mata Mandir.
Visitors are forced to park along narrow and potholed roadsides extending towards Parwanoo near the Himachal Pradesh border, according to a report by the Times of India. The roadside parking adds to congestion around the ancient temple and affects movement through the surrounding market and residential areas.
The proposed parking facility was planned on land adjacent to the temple by the Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board. The project was publicly announced by former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar in 2023 and was promised again by the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections.
The project has not moved forward because authorities have not been able to secure suitable land. Panchkula deputy commissioner Satpal Sharma identified land availability as the principal obstacle. “Finding land for the parking lot is an issue. As we find it, we will construct it,” Sharma said, according to the report.
The unresolved parking shortage is not limited to festival periods. Daily congestion affects people visiting the temple as well as those using the nearby commercial areas and roads. During peak footfall periods, the pressure on the local road network increases as vehicles occupy roadside space over a long stretch.
The location also gives the issue a wider mobility dimension. Kalka is a gateway towards Parwanoo and the Himachal Pradesh border, meaning congestion around the temple can affect through-traffic as well as local trips. The shortage therefore links religious tourism, local commerce, residential access and regional movement in the same constrained road space.
The parking proposal was intended to separate visitor vehicles from the roads surrounding the temple. However, the official response indicates that construction cannot begin until land is identified and made available. No construction timeline was provided in the report.
Kalka MLA Shakti Rani Sharma was unavailable for comment, according to the Times of India report. The next step identified by the district administration is to find suitable land, after which the parking facility is expected to be constructed.
