G20 Summit over, it’s back to square one

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, March 21

Traffic management in evidence during the G20 summit has gone missing on most city roads and carts selling a range of items have resurfaced on the roadside while garbage lifting has again become tardy.

The standard of cleanliness and traffic management practiced during the limited days of the G20 summit displayed high workmanship. All of a sudden, those days have become elusive.

Jaspreet Singh, a local, said rows of carts selling fresh vegetables, fruits and other material have resurfaced on the city’s prominent roads leading to traffic congestion which was a daily grind before the international summit. During the days of the summit, neither carts nor vehicles were allowed to be parked on the roadsides offering enough space for vehicles to move around. There used to be ample space for legal parking, that facility is now lost.

Pardeep Kapoor of Basant Avenue said the tendency of shopkeepers to display goods on footpaths was also back on prominent stretches, like Railway Link road to Cooper road, Dausandha Singh road to Crystal Chowk, on Court Road and adjoining lanes. The areas witness heavy commercial activity. A good part of these roads adjoining the walkway are being encroached upon by carts selling commodities and also the haphazard parking of vehicles. These encroachments block the path of pedestrians who have to walk on roads which are already full of fast moving vehicles. It leads to further congestion on these stretches and causes vehicles to slow down.

Manpreet Kaur, a resident of Kabir Park area, said the stretch of GT road from Guru Nanak Dev University to Khalsa College had recorded beautification on a large-scale. Now, those colourful sticks beaming the colour scheme of the national flag have been removed. Some flags were still seen fluttering on the stretch, reminding of the summit.

However, what pains Manpreet Kaur most is the return of garbage heaps which were occasionally visible on the road.