11 days on, no relief from traffic jams

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 24

Eleven days after the closure of the Gill Chowk flyover, commuters have got no relief from traffic jams in the city. A retaining wall of the Gill Chowk flyover collapsed on May 13.

Traffic jams continue to haunt commuters on Link Road, Pahwa Hospital Road, Partap Chowk, Jagraon Bridge, Lakkar Bridge near Mata Rani Chowk, Railway Station Road and Gill Road.

Gagandeep Singh Walia, a resident, said: “If I take the Link Road, I get stuck in traffic jams for half an hour. Now, I try to reach the industrial area through streets. More than 10 days have passed but there has been no relief from massive traffic jams. There is a need to make a concrete plan to deal with such emergency situations in future.”

A road safety activist, Rahul Verma, said the old side of Jagraon Bridge had also been closed to traffic. After the closure of Gill Chowk flyover, the situation has worsened. Frequent traffic jams are witnessed in this part of the city, he said.

“The bus stand authorities should make sure bus drivers use the additional bus stand at Dana Mandi. Besides, the temporary encroachments on Old GT Road and other major roads must be removed to ensure a smooth flow of traffic,” he added.