Defunct traffic lights cause chaos on busy city roads

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, November 20

The defunct traffic lights at Ravidass Chowk and Link Road crossing, two of the busiest traffic intersections in the city, are giving blues to the commuters as well as traffic policemen.

The chaos is evident all through the day, specially in the morning at intersections as vehicles cross each other and make way in a disorderly manner, leading to frequent traffic jams.

Shopkeepers in the area complained that traffic lights had been installed here around eight months back but are still lying non-functional. This has increased the chances of accidents and the problem of faulty signals is yet to get the attention of the authorities concerned.

“With the rise in the volume of traffic and the inability of the authorities to come up with a concrete plan to ease congestion, commuters are struggling to cope with frequent traffic jams in the area,” said Gautam Ray, a trader whose shop is based in the area.

Traffic jam in the area is worse at the time of opening and closing of schools as the road to most schools leads from here. Buses, autos and rickshaw-pullers stay stranded for long due to long traffic jams, he added.

Mukesh, a commuter, said, “Owing to the defunct traffic lights, some accidents were also reported in the city in the last few months, but the authorities concerned are least bothered. Even the city police has not showed any interest in intimating the right quarters about the non-functional traffic lights.”

Joginder Singh, engineer, B&R with the Municipal Corporation, said, “The Municipal Corporation is aware of the problem. The traffic lights at Ravidass chowk and Link Road have been non-functional due to the problem of quality. The contractor has not ensured appropriate quality which was asked for by the MC. Therefore, lights were rejected due to quality concerns.”

The problem is on the priority list of the MC and the lights will be replaced soon, he added.