Sluggish pace of road widening testing patience of Mohali shopkeepers, locals

The sluggish pace of road widening work in the the city’s major shopping hub is beginning to the test the patience of the shopkeepers as well as the residents of Phase-10 and Phase-11.

Uprooted roads, unfinished sewage lines, shrunk parking lots, and round the clock dust pollution has turned daily life into a nightmare.

With folded hands and meek faces, the traders community today urged the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) to put an end to their misery.

“We have been pushed past the breaking point. Our business is suffering for no fault of ours. We do not know what it takes for the GMADA officials to get the things moving. It has been months now that Phase-10 and Phase-11 market parking lots are being used to dump construction material, rubble and dug up earth. Ironically, the road has narrowed amid the road widening work,” said Satish Garg of Phase-11.

Punjab State Traders Commission member Vineet Verma today visited Phase 11 and requested GMADA officials to address the problems faced by traders as soon as possible.

“GMADA is just not concerned about the issues and there’s no accountability. Their work is only restricted to collecting different fees. It is indeed an authority,” said a Phase-10 shopkeeper.

The widening of the road from Phase 7 to 11 is being carried out by GMADA, but work continues to drag even after a year.

Amid complaints, GMADA, the Municipal Corporation (MC), and the Public Works Department (PWD) keep passing the buck onto each other.

Meanwhile, traffic snarls and congestion has become the order of the day. City residents, traffic police, shopkeepers and even those heading to the hospitals have repeatedly complained of the pace of work. Traders are demanding a cut on the main road for their markets as visitors have to take a U-turn from the traffic lights, furthering the traffic snarls.

“It has been done in the market of Phase 3B2. The approach roads to the markets are not affected and visitors have easy access to the market,” said Gurcharan Singh, who is the president of the Phase-11 Market Welfare Association.

Among other demands, the traders are also seeking immediate removal of the mounds of debris left behind in the market parking lots left behind by GMADA.