Rehri menace chokes city despite fresh removal drive

The estate wing of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation has kicked off a drive to remove ‘rehris’ (hand-pulled carts), but the menace has reached alarming proportions in the city, choking traffic on prime streets.

Illegal rehris can be spotted in every nook and cranny of the city. A local resident, Harjit Singh, citing the example of the Kabir Park locality situated bang opposite Guru Nanak Dev University, said queues of ‘rehris’ can be seen parked in front of its market and along the stretch of the road.

Amid the large number of rehri markets in the city, a row of carts selling fresh vegetables and fruit on the stretch outside the Hathi Gate is a new addition. It sprung up only a couple of years ago and now boasts about 30 carts.

Since the area’s residential and commercial value is extremely high, people do not hesitate to place rehris on the footpaths and in the parking area of the market to attract customers.

At the Ram Bagh Gate, whose deorhi, dating back to the legendary Sikh king Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was restored at great cost, but residents say the situation is equally grim. Kulwant Singh said the historic gate was beautifully restored some years ago, but it now offers an unpleasant sight as rehris haphazardly parked outside are not only an eyesore but also contribute to congestion. Visitors struggle to find space to get off their vehicles to visit it.

The menace of haphazardly parked rehris continues unabated from the Ram Bagh Chowk to the Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) and around it. Despite years of efforts, authorities have failed to provide a meaningful solution. Carts parked randomly remain a constant source of road congestion, creating perpetual problems for vehicle movement around the ISBT.

Ravinder Kumar said commercial activities were rampant around the ISBT, with intense competition among vendors to attract customers. In addition, a large number of rehris were being plied on the stretch, further congesting the roads. He felt these were major roadblocks that need urgent attention to offer relief to commuters.

Surinder Singh, another local, said, “The ISBT lies exactly between the GT Road and the Maha Singh Gate, one of the entrances to the walled city.” Scores of residential localities have come up on the stretch of the GT Road beyond the ISBT. Besides, the road happens to be the main entrance to the city, so the flow of tourists in four-wheelers and buses remains high throughout the day.

Estate officers of the Amritsar Improvement Trust said encroachments were removed from time to time, and massive campaigns were also launched. However, people tend to re-encroach the area. They asserted that fresh encroachments would be removed and added that residents also need to be made aware not to encroach on public land, as it causes inconvenience to commuters.