Golden Temple ‘no-vehicle’ zone a bane for traders, residents

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 21

The state government’s much ambitious project of beautifying the passage to the Golden Temple has taken its toll on traders and residents in the vicinity.

The ‘diktat’ of making a “no-vehicle zone” allegedly cost 60-year-old Sneh Lata dear. She suffered a “mild” paralytic attack a few days ago, but due to the alleged absence of timely medication, she has become bed-ridden.

Her husband Surinder Kumar rued that as no passage was spared for the ambulance to reach his home located 200 m from the Golden Temple, he could not take his wife to the hospital on time.

“First, I had to hire an e-rickshaw to reach a point where the ambulance waited for us. This wasted at least an hour. My wife could have recovered had we reached on time, doctors said. Today, she is totally bed-ridden. For us, this beautification project has come as a curse,” he said.

Similarly, traders and wholesalers dealing in tea, shawls, dry fruits and clothes at Ghanta Ghar, Majith Mandi, Dal Mandi, Atta Mandi, Papran Wala Bazaar, Kathianwala Bazaar, all located in the vicinity of the shrine, contested that they have suffered a massive slump in their business as goods could not reach their shops easily due to the restriction on vehicles.

S Vohra Shawls where owner Sushil Kumar said, “Ours is 100-year-old shop. Never ever have we witnessed such a slump in business, considering that our shop is located in such a prime location. Customers have stopped coming to our market as it would be difficult for a two-wheeler to reach our ancient bazaar, which was set up by Guru Ram Dass,” he said.

In May, several BJP leaders such as Rajya Sabha member and former city Mayor Shawet Malik, former minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla and district BJP chief Rajesh Honey had raised the issue of putting up barricades to stop vehicles, but it bore no result.