Encroachments, bad planning bane of Gurdaspur
With the ongoing drive against encroachments bringing a sea change in traffic situation in the city, the district administration has decided to make it regular exercise.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Uma Shankar Gupta confirmed that the recent initiative under which several markets had been cleared of unauthorised structures will continue in the future too.
The administration is acting upon complaints received from various quarters. The complaints suggested that it was nigh impossible for locals to walk through certain markets because of illegal structures.
Last fortnight, ADC (General) Harjinder Singh Bedi and the Executive Officer of the Municipal Committee Bhupinder Singh led a drive following which shopkeepers were asked to either remove their wares or face the music. The violators were given notices to mend their ways, but to no avail. Later, the ADC and the MC staff cleared the structures in the wee hours.
Some politicians were not too happy with what the administration was doing, but their voices were drowned by the roar of the bulldozers. The erring shopkeepers subsequently held a protest. However, it soon fizzled out after some residents told them of the futility of holding such demonstrations when they themselves had created such a situation. The initiative was carried out in areas from where the maximum complaints had come in. These places were Library Chowk, Fish Market, GT Road, Jail Road, Jahaz Chowk and the Old Bus Stand.
The district headquarters of Gurdaspur is not only the place where the anti-encroachment drive has been started. Satellite towns like Qadian, Batala, Sri Hargobindpur, Fatehgarh Churian and Dera Baba Nanak are also being brought under the lens.
Rehris spell chaos
In Gurdaspur city, rehris are mostly responsible for chaos on the roads. Darshan Mahajan, president of the Gurdaspur Beopar Mandal, said the situation can be addressed if the administration earmarked a space for rehris.
“The old bus stand can be given to rehriwalas following which half the problems of the administration will be solved,” he said.
Basements remain the city’s Achilles Heel
Almost all basements in the buildings have been passed by the MC with explicit instructions that these be used for parking purposes. However, the building owners never use the basements for parking and rather used these for commercial purposes.
Some bureaucrats in the past have issued notices to the basement owners. However, their enthusiasm and eagerness quickly fizzled out because of the pressure piled upon them by politicians. “If the encroachers are voters for these leaders, the owners of basements are their money bags,” said an officer.
Instances of school buses and even ambulances getting trapped in the traffic quagmire had become a routine. This development irks residents no end. Now these people can breathe easy after the administration’s ambitious drive to remove traffic bottlenecks.
The Bhai Lalo chowk was demolished on the demand of the locals after it created a traffic bottleneck. There are other structures that are likely to come under the chopping block because these are proving to be a hindrance to the smooth flow of traffic.
Interestingly, Gurdaspur is the only district headquarters in the country, which has no traffic lights and footpaths. There have been numerous occasions when the traffic cops wanted to install lights, but the lack of funds came in their way.
Residents have repeatedly pointed out that the city has many incongruities. Public buildings, which are on the outskirts, should have been within the MC limits. The district jail is located in the heart of Gurdaspur, while the Civil Hospital is situated at Babri village, 5 kms away from the city.
Officers said even the District Administration Complex and the adjoining Judicial Complex should have been located outside the MC limits. This could have solved the traffic problem to a great extent.
Politicians, in an attempt to cater to their vote-bank, often interfere in the city’s planning process. Recently, some leaders, without the permission of the administration, built the Bhai Lalo traffic chowk. Lo and behold, the city was full of traffic snarls because a much bigger intersection had been constructed than what was needed.
The administration acted decisively and demolished the chowk much to the relief of the residents. Shopkeepers who had their establishments nearby, too, were an elated lot. Likewise, the residents say the administration should demolish the oversized Kahnuwan chowk.
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