Encroachments in old city market continue despite drives

Roadside vendors and shopkeepers by extending their shops onto roads have created a traffic mess in the old city market areas of Ludhiana. Despite awareness campaigns by the traffic police and the Municipal Corporation, a permanent solution remains elusive. A survey revealed that Railway Road, Clock Tower, Chaura Bazaar and surrounding markets in the old city market are among the worst affected, with vendors and shopkeepers occupying significant road space.

The issue is further complicated with the presence of roadside vendors, who are contributing to traffic congestion. To address the same, the traffic police and the Municipal Corporation had earlier launched a campaign to remove encroachments, which initially showed promise but ultimately failed to provide a lasting solution.

However, a recent initiative by the traffic police to restrict vehicular traffic in Chaura Bazaar on Saturdays and Sundays has shown significant positive results, alleviating traffic hurdles and congestion. The police are considering implementing the tactic in other markets to manage the traffic flow in a better way. Even auto-rickshaws, which cause traffic hurdles on the railway road on weekdays, are not being allowed to enter the road heading towards Kapoor Hospital and vice-versa on Saturday and Sunday. The initiative, is the brainchild of ACP (Traffic) Jatin Bansal. He had started it as a trial run but it has been made a routine affair on weekends to prevent traffic jams.

Sonu Kumar, a roadside vendor selling dry fruits, said instead of taking action against vendors, the authorities should allocate specific areas for them to operate, ensuring they did not obstruct traffic flow. “During weekends, vendors or rehriwalas do good sales in old city market near Chaura Bazaar, Clock Tower, etc, due to which their number increases on weekends,” Sonu said.

Another roadside vendor, Raman, who sells socks on a cart, said shopkeepers had also encroached upon roads by extending their shops and they were equally responsible for narrowing wider roads and action should also be taken against them.