Gurdaspur MLA, admn lock horns over traffic intersection

The district administration and the local MLA have locked horns over the construction of a traffic juncture which has acquired the contours of an intense debate even before it has been officially built.

The intersection, named Bhai Lalo chowk, has become controversy’s favourite child not only because of its abnormally large size but also due to the fact that hundreds of vehicles, including school-going buses, have to spend hours trying to make their way through the ever-increasing stream of traffic.

Things have come to such a pass that ADC (General) Harjinder Singh has written to the SDM to see if Section 152 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) can be clamped on the people engaged in the construction. This section relates to any person who assaults, threatens to assault, obstructs or attempts to obstruct a public servant.

A potentially volatile situation had developed yesterday when MLA Barindermeet Singh Pahra and dozens of his men virtually hijacked the proceedings and started the construction after the administration had banned it.

Even as the tug-of-war between the MLA and the administration continues, residents, including hundreds of school-going children, are endlessly getting trapped in traffic snarls.

In December last year, work had commenced but PWD officials wrote to the administration saying the “design needs to be reconsidered”.

Ever since, work had come to a standstill.

When work was stopped, a large wire-mesh was installed around the area. Traffic from all four sides remains blocked for a long period of time because of this wire mesh. One of the roads leads to the bus stand through a railway under-bridge while the other three roads lead to different parts of the city. It has become a common sight to see vehicles stranded for hours on all four sides. Not surprisingly, a section of residents has written to the administration seeking action against the MLA and his brother “for indulging in politics”.

Baljit Singh Pahra, president of the Municipal Committee, said the project was being built after following norms. Residents, however, claim that had rules been followed, there would have been no traffic jams. Incidentally, he is the younger brother of the legislator.

The ADC claimed that the administration had written to the Municipal Committee asking it to keep the project in abeyance. The ADC had received complaints from residents and shopkeepers following which he took the decision.

Even as aggressive postures are being adopted by both sides, residents are watching with bated breath the next step of the administration. A section of city folks says the city is already overwhelmed by the Kahnuwan chowk which like the Bhai Lalo juncture, is so huge that normal flow of traffic is impeded throughout the day.

Several structures have come up in the city, all of which are devoid of logic. Buildings which should have been inside the city like the civil hospital have been constructed several kilometres away while structures which should have been on the outskirts, like the Gurdaspur Central Jail, are located inside the city.

Residents are keenly looking forward to what action the administration takes against the legislator and his men.