Defunct signal causing mishaps

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, December 18

The defunct traffic lights at Ravidass Chowk and Link Road crossing, two of the busiest traffic intersections in the city, have been causing road mishaps besides hindering the traffic flow for the past couple of months.

In the latest mishap that took place two days ago, a businessman, Sarabjeet Singh aka Dimple (38) lost his life. The family has blamed the civic body for the mishap as the officials concerned didn’t repair the lights even after receiving several complaints from the market committee of the area.

Victim’s wife Jass Kaur said, “My husband was on his way to home when he got stuck in a traffic jam at Ravidas Chowk. His car was rammed by an unidentified Xuv from the rear side, resulting in his death on the spot.”

“There have been a lot of road accidents taking place on a daily basis in many parts of the city, but the local body is yet to come up with a concrete solution,” she said.

Gautam Ray, a shopkeeper in the area, said, “The traffic lights have been lying non-functional right from the first day of installation eight months ago. The Nakodar Road Welfare Association has already complained about it, the copies of which are with the MC authorities, but no action has been taken. Now, the future of Sarabjeet’s family looks bleak as he was the only earning hand in the family.”

With the rise in the volume of traffic and the inability of the authorities to come up with a concrete plan to ease congestion, commuters are struggling amid frequent traffic jams, he added.

Joginder Singh, engineer with the MC’s B&R branch, said, “The Municipal Corporation is aware of the problem. The traffic lights at Ravidass Chowk and Link Road have been non-functional due to the contractor’s fault who didn’t ensure the installation of a sound-quality product. Therefore, the street lights were rejected.”

The firm which was hired for the installation of the lights had cheated in terms of proper service and quality as it was promised. The street lights will be replaced soon, he added.