Amritsar residents bear the brunt of multiple choke points on GT Road

Manmeet Singh Gill

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Amritsar, December 1

Encroachments on GT Road, the lifeline of the traffic in the city, are not only forcing people to spend more time on travelling due to frequent traffic jams but also increasing their fuel bills. The stretch near the railway station, Putligar, Khandwala and Chheharta witness frequent traffic jams throughout the day.

Residents are of the view that freeing the service lanes from illegal encroachments and making it available for the slow moving traffic can help in solving the problem to a great extent. The private buses parked outside the railway station, along with the auto-rickshaws, waiting at the entrance of the station cause traffic congestion till late in the evening.

Harman Singh, a resident of Jandiala, who travels on the stretch daily to reach Khalsa College, said, “I avoid driving on the stretch and prefer to use the outer bypass road. I have to drive 15 km more but it’s better than travelling on the GT road.” He said the traffic police and the Municipal Corporation must come up with a plan to remove all traffic bottlenecks.

Near Putlighar Chowk, vegetable sellers, food kiosks and illegally-parked vehicles eat up a major portion of the road thus hampering the smooth flow of traffic. “The sheer number of cars creates a free-for-all here. No one is bothered about the traffic signals as everyone is in a hurry to cross the stretch and this makes things worse,” said Amanpreet Singh, a shopkeeper in the area.

The tendency of the shopkeepers to display their billboards and even items on the road reduces the space available for vehicles and pedestrians. Apart from the local administration, the residents too are at fault in creating the mess on the roads, locals claim. “If everyone starts following traffic norms religiously, the situation can improve to a great extent. Shopkeepers are using the road in front of their property as extension of their shops,” said Lakhbir Singh, a resident of Chheharta area.